Tottenham have signed £75m player for third of the price after Man City Carabao Cup win
TOTTENHAM 2-1 MANCHESTER CITY: Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr struck in the first half as Spurs defeated Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup
by Ryan Taylor · The MirrorWhen you're a cut above the rest against Manchester City - that is a glowing reflection of your quality.
And in rejuvenated playmaker Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham truly have unlocked a superstar attacker. The stylish Swede showed huge glimpses of promise under Antonio Conte upon arrival in north London on loan from Juventus when he struck five goals and registered eight assists in the second half of the 2021-22 campaign.
But since then he has blown hot and cold - with the exception of this season - and now there can surely be no doubt about his ability, class and equally, his importance to Ange Postecoglou's rip-roaring revolution in N17.
The £25.6million reduced fee Spurs shelled out to Juve in 2023 to make Kulusevski's loan into a permanent deal looks an ever greater steal with every performance that goes by. While they also paid an £8.3m loan fee in 2021 - they have still robbed the Old Lady blind.
Because not only has Kulusevski grown as a player but he has also grown in stature and here against Manchester City, he was Tottenham's indispensable leader that helped drag them over the line and into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
His daring dribbling spurred Tottenham on and tormented Guardiola's Premier League champions, lifting the crowd while also injecting belief and confidence into Postecoglou's side.
City did not know how to live with Spurs' creative dynamo, who did not stop running and driving at Pep Guardiola's backline. They struggled for answers all evening until the forward inevitably ran out of steam.
This was the kind of dazzling, majestic performance that will not be forgotten anytime soon and it's precisely why Kulusevski is so popular in these quarters.
He is right at the heart of everything that is currently exciting about Tottenham, their aggressive pressing, their speedy counter-attackers, their endeavour and the lingering sense of anticipation that Spurs possess the power to hurt you at any given minute. He also deeply cares about the club and it shows.
Players of the Kulusevski mould are hard to come by and in the modern transfer market, they are also certainly not cheap. He is now surely worth £50m at the very least, if not close to £75m - which effectively means his valuation has tripled in the past year or so, though Juve will now be living to rue their decision to offload the player on the cheap.
First he assisted Timo Werner's thunderous opener before he was also involved in Pape Matar Sarr's second for the hosts.
His link play with Werner before the German attacker got injured was a sight to behold, there was real natural chemistry and Spurs looked dangerous every time the pair collaborated and went through the gears.
Kulusevski could have killed the game once and for all when he raced through on goal after a sensational counter-attack after the interval but Stefan Ortega was equal to his curling effort.
Tottenham may not end their trophy drought this season, they may not make the top-four but they are certainly going to enjoy the ride all the while Kulusevski is fit and firing.
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