A lot of potential in Spurs: Moussa Dembele

Moussa Dembele, Tottenham’s new recruit, says he joined the team because its style and package suited him. Excerpts:

How have you settled in at Tottenham Hotspur?
I am very happy to play for the Spurs now. It’s a very big club and a very good team as well. The squad is full of nice guys. They make me comfortable here, so I am happy.

Is it a lot different from Fulham?
It’s difficult to tell. I have been here only for a few weeks but there is a lot of quality in the team, we are a very good team.

How important was that first win against Reading?
It was very important. It takes a bit of pressure off us. It’s not easy, the game we played. It was a good team we played against. We have a better spirit in the team. From now on, I think we can do something. There is a lot of positive spirit in the group. Everyone had put a lot of energy in that game and we have a lot of positive energy now. I think we can do something now.

How important is the Europa League?
It’s a very important competition for us. There are some good teams in this league so I think everyone is very ambitious to do something.

Who do you view as the biggest threat in the group?
Lazio is a big team and Panathanaikos will be difficult, all three will be but these two games are very difficult.

Do you think the squad is equipped now for the rest of the season?
If you see all these players, they are all very good. I was surprised about how good they were in training. I have the confidence to do something in this league, you know.

Your Fulham teammate Clint Dempsey has joined you here. How important will he be?
I know Clint for three years now. He has always been very important for me and for the team I played in. He can make the difference for any team. He can score at any time. I am very happy he has joined us.

Jermain Defoe is in fine form now. How highly do you rate him?
He is a very good player to have as a striker. Always dangerous. He loves to score. You can see he loves to shoot. I am happy to have him in the team.

What has impressed you the most about Tottenham since you started playing here?
If you see all these guys, they are all very talented. A lot of them are young so there is a lot of potential in this team. They are already very good and can be even better, so I am excited to see this.

Have you set yourself any personal targets?
I don’t think like this. Personally, I want to do a good season with the team. I didn’t know the team very well (before I joined) but now I can see we have a very strong side and that we can do something in every competition. I know last year I played two times against Tottenham. They were a very good side and that’s why I wanted to come here.

There were reports of other teams being interested in you including Real Madrid and Manchester United. What made you choose Spurs?
There were a few teams interested in me, and from the beginning I said there were two teams whose style interested me — and one of them was Tottenham. When they came in for me, I had no doubts about coming here. Everything about the package suited me.

There appears to be an influx of Belgian footballers in the Premier League right now. Why do you think this is?
I don’t know. Last year I said to my teammates I hope the whole team is in the Premier League, and now there are three or four more players here. Everybody is doing really well here and I’m really proud of this. When you play against any other team where there is a Belgian, you want to win. I’m looking forward to playing against Eden Hazard and Fellaini, these guys, of course. It’s nice to win these games.

How do you feel when people compare you to Luka Modric?
If you ask me who was the best player here last year, I would say Modric was among the top three. I’m a big fan of him but he has different qualities when compared to me. I’m not going to look how he played. I’m going to play my own game.