da leao： Name: Ivan Perisic
da dobrowin： Club: On loan at Bayern Munich from Inter Milan
Date of Birth: 2 February 1989
Position: Winger (left, right)
IVAN PERISIC – HIS CAREER SO FAR
Born in Split, Croatia, Ivan Perisic was always a big fan of Hajduk Split, a local giant and one of the biggest clubs in the country. It doesn’t surprise then that his first steps into the world of football were done exactly in their youth setups. But it also wouldn’t take long for other European teams to take notice of the young, up and coming forward as the likes of Anderlecht, PSV, Ajax and Hamburger SV showed interest. In the end, however, the Croat would ultimately choose the French club Sochaux.
Despite his talent, Perisic would fail to tally a single appearance for the team’s first-team, spending his time in the B side before going out on loan to a Belgian team Roeselare for six months. There, he obviously picked up a number of admirers and it came down to a tussle between Anderlecht and Club Brugge for the forward’s coveted signature.
At the end of the day, the latter team emerged as victors and Perisic was officially signed on 26 August 2009. And this is where his qualities started to shine the brightest. The beginning of his career at the new club was brilliant, to say the least, and the Croat would tally goal after goal and pair them up with some big assists as well. In the end, he would go on to score 35 goals and provide 23 assists in a total of 89 games for Club Brugge, leaving a good legacy and eventually departing for Borussia Dortmund for the 2011/12 campaign.
Despite a promising start to his venture in Germany and some decisive goals that followed, Perisic found his first-team opportunities quite limited in Dortmund and that would eventually lead to his departure to Wolfsburg, having only recorded 64 appearances in front of the Yellow Wall, bagging 12 goals and seven assists along the way.
Staying in Germany, Perisic would add to his overall Bundesliga tally with his new team but he also wouldn’t stay for too long, eventually signing with Inter Milan in the summer of 2015. His spell with Wolfsburg was good, as evidenced by 21 goals and 17 assists in 88 games, but some niggling injuries and a big opportunity in Italy meant he would swap clubs once more.
The Nerazzurri treated him well and he would stay at Inter for longer than at any other club throughout his career. The Croat also has quite a resume with the Italians as well, bagging 40 goals and 35 assists across 163 games but ultimately with no silverware to show for. In fact, the first titles he claimed on club level came with Borussia Dortmund as the team managed to win Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2011/12 and then follow it up with a German Supercup triumph the next season.
That would, however, change with his loan spell at Bayern Munich that lasted throughout the 2019/20 campaign as the Bavarians claimed the Bundesliga title in the process as well. Perisic himself scored six goals and assisted ten in 31 games, proving that he’s still got a lot left in the tank.
It has to be said that he’s been an instrumental part of Croatia’s national team as well, participating in the last two Euros and the last two World Cups for his country. And he was an instrumental part of Croatia’s run to the final in Russia back in 2018, even scoring a goal in an eventual defeat to France, becoming the first-ever Croat to do so.
TRANSFER LATEST
Perisic’s loan deal at Bayern Munich is set to end in the coming month and there are already various transfer rumours and transfer news connecting the Croat with a plethora of different teams. Currently, however, Tottenham Hotspur seem to be among the most interested squads out there and a move to the Premier League could indeed be on the cards.
First, of course, Perisic will return to Italy and then we’ll see what happens next. Still, with the market on the island now officially opened, we could see all kinds of Tottenham Hotspur transfer news popping up in the coming weeks.
PLAYER PROFILE
Perisic is a winger by nature but has been played all across the park throughout his career due to his sheer versatility and adaptability. Even though his main task is always to score goals, the 31-year-old is a keen creator as well, often combining well with his teammates and both exploiting and creating space along the way.
His great dribbling skills also mean that he can wreak havoc across the final third and despite often staying wide, Perisic can also cut inside and advance through the half-space. We can also see him engage in 1v1s close to the opposition’s box and that can lead to dangerous cut-backs or low crosses towards his teammates.
Despite being 31 years of age, he rarely runs out of steam.