The veteran Croatian endured a difficult debut campaign at N17
Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new permanent manager has now come to an end, with chairman Daniel Levy opting to turn to Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou in order to spark a much-needed revival at N17.
The 57-year-old arrives in north London with the aim of rejuvenating a squad that missed out on European qualification last season, having only recently bolstered his reputation even further after guiding his previous employers to a domestic treble in Scotland.
If the experienced tactician is to guide his new club to silverware in the coming years then a squad overhaul may be what is needed, with the Telegraph already reporting that the one-time Australia head coach could oversee a mass clearout this summer in order to help put his stamp on proceedings.
As per the report, among those who could be sent packing is veteran Croatian, Ivan Perisic, with the 34-year-old – who still has a year left on his existing deal – looking set for an exit after just a solitary season in English football.
While it may be a bold move for Postecoglou to dispose of such an experienced and high-profile figure, the Greek-Aussie could swiftly endear himself to the Tottenham support by making that ruthless and decisive decision.
Has Perisic been a good signing for Tottenham?
On the face of it, the free transfer capture of the ex-Inter Milan man may appear something of a success, with the 125-cap ace having racked up an impressive tally of 12 assists in all competitions from his wing-back berth.
That being said, however, the general consensus is that the signing of the £180k-per-week dud has been a real mistake as far as Levy is concerned, with The Athletic’s James Maw reflecting that the versatile asset will be “remembered as a massive waste of money”.
Writer Andrew Gaffney also described the one-time Bayern Munich man as “awful” earlier in the campaign, while also going on to describe the defender as a “massive liability” due to his struggles defensively.
Those woes are particularly showcased by Perisic’s errant nature in possession, with the ageing talent ranking in just the bottom 4% in Europe’s top five leagues among those in his position for pass completion, while also losing the ball 14 times per game in the league, on average, in 2022/23.
Those defensive shortcomings also ensured that the 6 foot 1 wide man won just 44% of his ground duels this season in the top flight, while ranking in just the top 49% for tackles made, as per FBref, and in the bottom 37% for interceptions made.
As journalist Ryan Taylor stated, supporters seemingly “expected more” from the signing of Perisic, with it fair to say that the addition of the Split native simply just “hasn’t worked out”.
As such, with it also unclear as to what role the Croatian would play in Postecoglou’s preferred 4-3-3 set-up – which does not include wing-backs – it should seemingly be the case that the struggling dud is moved on as a matter of urgency by the new boss.
