‘Arsenal also tried’ – Tottenham ‘sunk the blow’ to beat Gunners to impressive signing

Tottenham Hotspur overcame competition from Arsenal to sign Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus in January 2022.

That’s at least what Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting, and he mentions Arsenal’s interest in a report that focuses on the 24-year-old’s ‘rebirth’ at Spurs.

Kulusevski joined Tottenham on a loan deal with an obligation to buy, which was exercised in 2023. Spurs paid a €10m loan fee and then €35m to buy the forward from the Serie A side.

Antonio Conte was then manager, and Fabio Paratici was the sports director at the Premier League side. In the same window, the Gunners were reportedly keen on signing Dušan Vlahović from Fiorentina.

He snubbed them in favour of Juventus and Mikel Arteta’s side then shifted their focus to the Sweden international. Di Marzio claims ‘Arsenal also tried’ as they made contacts for him.

This saw Spurs react as they ‘sunk the blow’ and ‘convinced Juventus with millions’, to beat Arsenal to Kulusevski’s signature.

The player is starring under Ange Postecoglou, who has used him in multiple attacking roles this season. Having beaten Arsenal to the transfer, as Di Marzio says, will be an added bonus.