On Friday, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed an agreement has been reached with Hajduk Split for Ivan Perišić’s transfer.
This move allows the winger to return to the Croatian club, where he spent six years in their academy, between 2000 and 2006.
Hajduk Split sporting director Mindaugas Nikoličius has been speaking to Transfermarkt, to share his excitement over the deal for the Tottenham owned player. He believes the 34-year-old can play a role in helping his side win the title this season.
The Croatian team are leading the league table and are six points ahead of Rijeka, who are in second spot.
“Ivan is certainly one of the biggest transfers in Hajduk history. Now that we have the biggest sporting goals, we want to have the best possible players,” he said.
Last September, the former Inter Milan man suffered a serious knee injury in training and had to undergo surgery. He’s been sidelined since then and prior to that, there were rumours of the Tottenham attacker’s arrival at Hajduk Split last summer.
The official hasn’t confirmed anything specific about last summer, but revealed his side were confident that the Spurs man would return to the club at some stage in his career.
“Ivan comes from here and is closely connected to the club. It was clear that he would return to Hajduk at some point in his career,” Nikoličius explained.
“We stay in close contact with all the players who were in our academy – some of them have had a big influence on European football. We always have our sights set on winning them back. When an opportunity arises, we are ready to act and do whatever it takes to bring him home.”
Earlier claims had stated the Croatia international won’t be able to return to the pitch until April. Nikoličius believes he can be valuable for Hajduk Split off the pitch as well.
“[Perišić is] a great asset on and off the pitch. When he’s fit again, we expect him to contribute to the team’s performance so that we can achieve our goals for the season,” he added.
The player’s deal at Tottenham was set to expire at the end of this season, making things easier for Hajduk.
