“It was evident,” the director says, expressing faith in the Tottenham player’s contract and calling him “a great asset.”
Tottenham Hotspur announced on Friday that they and Hajduk Split had reached a transfer agreement for Ivan Perišić.
With this transfer, the winger can rejoin the Croatian team, where he attended their academy for six years, from 2000 to 2006.
Speaking with Transfermarkt, Mindaugas Nikoličius, sports director of Hajduk Split, expressed his excitement about the acquisition of the Tottenham star. He thinks the 34-year-old can contribute to his team’s championship victory this year.
The Croatian team is six points clear of second-place Rijeka at the top of the league table.
“Ivan is undoubtedly one of the most significant transactions in Hajduk’s past. We want to have the best players available because we now have the highest sporting aspirations,” he stated.
The former Inter Milan player needed surgery in September of last year after suffering a major knee injury during training. Before that, there were rumors of the Tottenham attacker joining Hajduk Split in the summer, but he has been sidelined ever since.
Although the official wouldn’t comment on specifics from last summer, he did say that his team was certain the Spurs player will rejoin them at some point in his career.
“Ivan is a local and has a close relationship with the club. Nikoličius clarified, “It seemed obvious that he would come back to Hajduk at some point in his career.
“We maintain constant communication with every player who attended our academy; a number of them have made significant contributions to European football.” We’re always focused on getting them back. We are prepared to take action and go above and beyond to bring him home when the time is right.
The Croatian international won’t be able to play again until April, according to earlier reports. Nikoličius thinks he can help Hajduk Split both on and off the field.
Both on and off the field, [Perišić] is a tremendous asset. We anticipate that he will improve the team’s performance once he has fully recovered, helping us to meet our season-long objectives,” he continued.
Hajduk had an easier time of it because the player’s Tottenham contract was about to expire at the end of current season.
