We secured the permanent signing of Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski in June 2023, finalizing a deal that will keep him at the club until 2028. He initially joined us on an 18-month loan from Juventus in January 2022.
In the 2023/24 season, Deki continued to shine, netting eight goals and providing three assists in 36 Premier League appearances (30 of which were starts). He participated in 39 out of 41 matches that season, bringing his total appearances for the club to 96 across all competitions.
Deki delivered several memorable moments, including a dramatic late winner against Sheffield United on September 16, 2023, when he scored at 90+10 minutes, marking the latest winning goal in Premier League history at that time. He also equalized in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad on December 3 and dedicated his goal at Nottingham Forest on December 15 to his girlfriend, Eldina, who was expecting their first child. A week later, he covered an impressive 13.36 kilometers during our 2-1 victory over Everton, the highest distance recorded by any player in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season.
In January 2024, Deki received the 2023 Guldbollen (Golden Ball) award for Sweden’s best male player for the second consecutive year. He capped off the season with a brace in our 3-0 triumph against Sheffield United, helping us secure a fifth-place finish in the Premier League.
Born in Stockholm, Dejan left Sweden at the age of 16 to join Atalanta’s youth ranks in Italy. He made his senior debut in Serie A in January 2019 and spent the first half of the 2019/20 season on loan at Parma, where his impressive performances earned him a move to Juventus in January 2020. He finished that season back on loan at Parma, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in 39 appearances, which earned him the title of Serie A’s Best Young Player for the 2019/20 season.
Deki was a regular for Juventus in the 2020/21 season, appearing in all but three Serie A matches and starting every game as the club lifted the Coppa Italia. He scored and assisted in the final against his former club Atalanta. He also contributed to Juventus winning the Supercoppa Italiana and represented Sweden at Euro 2020, where he played a key role in the team’s memorable 3-2 victory over Poland.
During the first half of the 2021/22 season, he made 27 appearances for Juventus, including five in the UEFA Champions League, bringing his total for the club to 74 appearances and nine goals.
Deki made a significant impact in the latter half of the 2021/22 season. A tall and powerful presence on the right flank, he excelled in a front three alongside Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son. He scored on his first start in our thrilling 3-2 victory at Manchester City in February 2022 and finished the season strong, starting 15 of our last 17 matches, netting five goals and providing eight assists. His fifth goal during that run was a stunning strike in our 5-0 win against Norwich City on the final day, securing fourth place in the Premier League and qualification for the UEFA Champions League. In total, Deki made 20 appearances for us that season.
In December 2022, he was recognized for an outstanding first year in the Premier League by winning the 2022 Guldbollen award, given to Sweden’s best male player.
After making a remarkable impact in the latter half of the 2021/22 season, Deki started the 2022/23 campaign with promise, scoring and assisting in our 4-1 victory over Southampton on opening day. Unfortunately, injuries sidelined him during crucial months leading up to the World Cup. He returned for our thrilling 4-3 win in November, but picked up another injury on Boxing Day, which kept him out for three weeks. Despite these setbacks, he managed 37 appearances in all competitions that season, including 30 in the Premier League (23 starts), scoring twice. This brought his total to 57 appearances for us across all competitions, with seven goals.
Deki made his senior debut for Sweden in November 2019 and, by the end of the 2023/24 season, had earned 39 caps and scored three goals for his country.
Sweden
