Tottenham have been tipped to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool following the signing of Ivan Perisic.
Spurs announced the signing of the Croatian international on a two-year deal and will join the club upon the expiration of his contract at Inter Milan on July 1.
It could be a major coup for Spurs, who are on the up under Antonio Conte’s guidance, and talkSPORT’s Darren Ambrose believes they’re bridging the gap on the division’s two runaway sides.
Ambrose also suggested that the Perisic signing marks a changing of the times regarding the way the club’s recruitment policy operates.
Ambrose said on Drivetime: “They’ll get close [to the title race] they’ll get a lot closer than they have done.
“I think Antonio Conte’s come in and he’s almost made Daniel Levy release the shackles, he’s backed him.
“And what he’s done since he arrived at the football club, what he’s done with what was an average squad, he’s got them Champions League football.
“I think this has made Daniel Levy go ‘I’m going to back him’, and this is an outstanding signing by the way.”
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Perisic reunites with Conte, who managed him at Inter. They won the Serie A title together, ending Juventus’ stranglehold of Italian football.
European football expert Kevin Hatchard echoed Ambrose’s idea that Spurs are very much a club on the up.
“Perisic has been brilliant for Inter, a really important player for them – scoring goals, making goals,” Hatchard said on Drivetime. “His conversion to wing-back has suited him down to the ground.
“He was at Bayern, he was brilliant when he was there and I think he was a bit surprised they didn’t make more of an effort to keep him. He’s been excellent at the top level for quite some time.
“I think this is a super signing for Spurs… they have everything going for them. Them qualifying for the Champions League and being able to keep hold of Conte is going to be massive for that club.”