Radu Dragusin must impress Tottenham as defender handed EURO 2024 audition
Radu Dragusin has an opportunity to prove himself as a dependable centre-back for Tottenham as Romania prepare to face Bulgaria on Tuesday (4 June).
The 22-year-old has only made four Premier League starts since arriving from Genoa in January on a £26.7million deal, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven preferred ahead of him.
There is clearly a talented player on Spurs’ bench waiting for an opportunity to shine, and Dragusin must prove those claims right when Romania prepare for Euro 2024 with a friendly against Bulgaria. [Sky Sports]
The young centre-back has gone from being a regular starter for Genoa in Serie B and Serie A before making the switch to the Premier League, impressing during cameos, but never really being given a proper chance.
If Ange Postecoglou is keeping a close eye on his players during the international break, Dragusin must make this chance count and send a message back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Radu Dragusin to send Ange Postecoglou clear message at Tottenham
Despite playing just 424 minutes in the Premier League this season, the centre-back managed to maintain an 88 per cent passing accuracy during his short cameos and won 60 per cent of his tackles. [FotMob]
With 18 clearances and eight interceptions, Dragusin is a positive addition to Postecoglou’s squad and will feel that he deserves more playing time despite the calibre of defenders already in the team.
Compared to centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref, he ranks in the top 84 percentile for aerial duels won, one percentile higher than Romero [FBref] and 66 percentiles higher than van de Ven [FBref].
Having started the last 12 international matches for Romania, it is highly unlikely that Dragusin will miss out as one of their key players, especially if they want him at full match sharpness for Euro 2024.
Though he has not scored for his country yet, his six total goals for Genoa suggest that he is a threat in the opposition box, and his underlying statistics seem to support that notion.
According to FBref, Dragusin ranks in the top 80 percentile for non-penalty goals, the top 82 percentile for total shots and the top 88 percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area.
If Postecoglou is searching for more goals, utilising his Romanian defender from set-pieces could be a hidden secret ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy has been told the terms for Spurs to sign Eberechi Eze during the summer transfer window
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