Dejan Kulusevski chose Juventus because of Maurizio Sarri’s tactics and expresses admiration for Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. ‘I want to be the best.’
The Sweden international has already secured his transfer from Atalanta to Juventus for €35m plus up to €9m in performance-related bonuses, but remains on loan at Parma until the end of the season.
Dejan Kulusevski chose Juventus because of Maurizio Sarri’s tactics and expresses admiration for Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. ‘I want to be the best.’
The Sweden international has already secured his transfer from Atalanta to Juventus for €35m plus up to €9m in performance-related bonuses, but remains on loan at Parma until the end of the season.
“Everyone at Parma helps me to work well, the staff and coach helped me realise that if I work hard, I’ll get playing time,” the 20-year-old said on Sky Sport Italia.
“One of the reasons I chose Juventus was the tactical aspect. I’ve studied Sarri’s approach carefully and I think I can do very well in his Juventus side.
“My favourite player is Eden Hazard, I watched all his games, so I think I can take the role he had in Sarri’s Chelsea.”
That isn’t the only inspiration Kulusevski takes from the Premier League and indeed from Belgium.
“Kevin de Bruyne is one of the top five players in the world. He’s phenomenal and I want to become like him, but even better. I watch a lot of football and try to learn things from everyone I see.
“I’ve played as a mezz’ala for most of my career, so I know that I can do it, while the right role for me at Parma is on the wing. In the Atalanta youth academy, I started the play from the back. As far as I am concerned, I believe my best position is a trequartista behind the strikers.
“When I play, I don’t think about scoring a goal or providing an assist, I just focus on getting the team to score. I know that I have to work, get more shots away and improve on this tally of five Serie A goals.”
Kulusevski was linked with numerous other clubs in January, including Inter, Manchester United and Chelsea, but opted for the Bianconeri.
“It’s a dream to play for Juventus, alongside people like Cristiano Ronaldo, but I am going there also to prove that I belong in their company.
“I always used to say that I didn’t have objectives, I just wanted to improve, but that has changed in recent months. I want to become one of the best and I’m ready to do all the work necessary to achieve that aim.”
Being Swedish of Macedonian descent, Kulusevski has inevitably been compared with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“He changed all of Sweden and is a genuine idol. It was a dream for me to play against him and swap shirts. He believes in himself, he says nothing by chance, because he always delivers on his promises.”