Ivan Perisic said it is privilege to be reunited with coach Antonio Conte after completing his move to Tottenham Hotspur and has fulfilled a dream of playing in the Champions League.
Spurs announced the signing of the Croatia international on a free transfer on Tuesday, after his contract with Inter expired.
And, speaking to Spurs TV, he said of his move: “It’s a privilege to work with a coach like this.
“We did well [at Inter], we won the league after ten or 11 years. It was really a perfect year. I am really happy to see him again.
“He’s living football, every minute, every hour, every day, even when he’s sleeping, he’s thinking about football. I like his character and I know we’re going to do a great job here.”
Perisic also said that by moving to the Premier League, he is fulfilling a dream he has harboured since becoming a professional footballer. He added: “I’m really excited to start with the Spurs family. It’s going to be my home for the next two years.
“When I got in contact with the coach and the Sporting Director [Fabio Paratici], I told them that I really wanted to come here in the Premier League, since 2009 when I started to play professional football in Belgium. This is the moment and I can’t wait.”
Perisic suggested a move to Spurs has been on the card for a while as he said he had been monitoring the club’s results towards the end of the campaign to see if they would secure Champions League football.
He said: “Yeah I was waiting last two or three s watching.
“After the victory against Arsenal, it was obvious that Tottenham will go in the Champions League. It was also good for me because I want to play the best game, I want to do great job in the Champions League, like in the Premier League.”
Spurs secured Champions League football on the final match of the season to pip north-London rivals Arsenal to fourth spot.
Perisic won the competition during a loan spell with Bayern Munich in the 2019-20.
🎙 “I’m really excited to start with the Spurs family”
Watch Ivan Perišić’s first interview as a Spurs player! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ktsbfAUEiR
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 31, 2022
Bye bye, Ivan Perišić! 😢
Big loss for serial A. Perisic is a very reliable, consistent player
Hopefully he will be successfully at Tottenham and win trophies like he did in his previous clubs. Inter will always be grateful especially for winning the Coppa Italia.