Ivan Perisic would be the ideal signing for Tottenham
By Tom Gott
Jose Mourinho is in charge of Tottenham, so of course Inter's Ivan Perisic has found himself linked with the club.
The pair almost feel synonymous with one another. Mourinho was incessantly linked with a move for the Croatia international during his time with Manchester United, and the idea of Perisic moving to Spurs was a regular joke in the immediate aftermath of the boss' move to London.
According to Foot Mercato, it could soon become a reality as Spurs are already holding talks over a potential loan deal for Perisic, who has often found himself on the periphery of Antonio Conte's squad this season.
It's a deal which would obviously keep Mourinho happy, but it has the potential to do a whole lot more than that for Spurs.
Now, it goes without saying that Perisic is no longer the player he was when Mourinho first lodged his interest. He's not the man who bagged 11 goals and 11 assists in the 2017/18 season, but he's not far off.
After all, Perisic spent last season on loan with none other than Bayern Munich, who were more than happy to use the winger as a regular part of their rotation en route to winning both the Bundesliga and Champions League.
17 of his 35 appearances in Germany came off the bench, but he still managed to rack up eight goals and ten assists, and that's the kind of impact Spurs are crying out for.
Obviously, there's no shortage of goals at Spurs these days. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are making a mockery of defences up and down the country, but behind them, there's literally nothing going on.
Erik Lamela is yet to score in the Premier League this year, as are Steven Bergwijn and the much-maligned Dele Alli. Lucas Moura and Gareth Bale both have one each, putting them one behind third-top scorer Tanguy Ndombele, whose two strikes pale in comparison to Son's 12 or Kane's ten.
It's turned Spurs into somewhat of a one-dimensional side, and while that dimension has proven to be unstoppable at the minute, there's no alternative. If Kane or Son aren't firing, where are the goals going to come from?
It's why Spurs have looked a little stagnant in recent weeks. They struggled to score against Wolves, Leicester, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Chelsea because there's no oomph to the squad outside of the star duo.
Perisic wouldn't bring the same kind of star power as Kane and Son, but he wouldn't need to. If he can be another player who can ask questions of a defence, he'd be a success at Spurs.
The role of sidekick-to-the-sidekick has suited Perisic wherever he has been in the last few seasons, and all the signs suggest he would be able to take up that position with ease at Spurs.