Would Ivan Perisic be a good signing for Tottenham?

Tottenham are being strongly linked with a summer swoop for Ivan Perisic, but would the Croatian be a good signing for Mauricio Pochettino?

Five years ago the idea of Tottenham signing Ivan Perisic would have excited even the most pessimistic of Spurs supporters. Now that the Croatian is on the wrong side of 30 years of age it’s a lot more divisive idea.

Sources from Italy claim that Inter Milan are ready to let the veteran winger go if they receive a bid of £35 million. To date, Spurs have only offered £25 million. It’s unclear whether or not the English club have any appetite to bridge that gap.

There’s no question that Perisic isn’t the electric talent he was in his younger days. He scored 11 goals for Inter in both the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns. Contrast that to his contribution of just four goals in 24 appearances this year and it’s clear to see there’s some drop off in his game.

That doesn’t mean he couldn’t play a valuable role for Spurs. One of Perisic’s greatest strengths is his ability to work back on defence from his position on the wing. With all due credit to the likes of Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen, that isn’t a strength for either player. Tottenham fans could see Perisic as a much better and more stable version of Erik Lamela in their squad.

The obvious question is whether or not that sort of role is worth paying big money to fill. It’s certainly not worth the £35 million Inter Milan currently want for Perisic’s services. Paying that kind of fee for a player dependent on his legs who’s now entering his 30s would be bad business for Spurs.

At £25 million Perisic might be worth the risk. Tottenham would need to hope that moving to the Premier League would re-energize him a bit. Pochettino would also be able to give Perisic more rest than he currently receives at Inter. It’s very possible that using the Croatian star a little less often would allow him to expend more energy when he does make an appearance.

In the end, this just doesn’t seem like the best use of resources for Spurs. Tottenham should be looking to buy players who can make an immediate impact on their starting XI for years to come. Spending a hefty fee on a player who is going to get worse over the next few seasons is not a wise investment for the club. Tottenham should pass on Perisic unless Inter are willing to practically give him away. That isn’t going to happen, so Pochettino needs to look elsewhere to strengthen his attacking options.