New Tottenham signing Dejan Kulusevski is delighted to add “winner” Antonio Conte to the impressive list of coaches he has worked with.
Kulusevski, who arrived at Spurs on deadline day on an initial loan from Juventus, is only 21 but has already been taught by Gian Piero Gasperini, Andrea Pirlo and Massimiliano Allegri.
He is now linking up with Conte, who he knows from their time in Italy, and says the Italian was “everything” behind his move to Spurs.
“He was everything. Yes, firstly it’s a fantastic club but with him you see how much more they run now,” Kulusevski, who made his debut in the FA Cup win over Brighton, said.
“He has very good training, very good tactics, his staff are fantastic, he works a lot, he explains things, if you don’t understand, he explains them again. So this week has been really amazing and I’m very, very honoured to be here.
“To be my age, and have had so many good coaches that I have, is pretty amazing. Now being 21 and having Conte is just very, very good.
“He’s a winner and I want to be a winner, so I think I’m on the right side.”
Conte’s training methods are renowned for being punishing and Kulusevski, who play anywhere across the front three while Conte has also earmarked him as a possible right wing-back, is ready to suffer.
“When I came here, the training here was much more different from Italy – in a very good way.” he said.
“People are running faster, everything is faster to try to get us stronger. So it was very good because that’s what I need – I need my body to feel alive so I can think faster with my head.
“So I’m very happy to be here and the more I train, the easier it’ll be. It’s very good conditions.
“I love suffering. That’s one thing about me. From when I was born, I love suffering. I love to work hard and I’ve already seen how they work.
“It’s incredible. Just now, after the (Brighton) game, we had a crazy session. So I love being here and love work because I know my body can get so much better.”
