Tottenham fans should be excited as ‘more to come’ Radu Dragusin claim emerges
Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin has so far been limited to appearances from the bench since his arrival in the Premier League.
Spurs find themselves in a position where they have three strong options in central defence.
Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero haven’t been available for selection consistently this season due to injury issues and suspensions, but when they are available they are the clear first-choice duo at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ange Postecoglou has no reason to drop either player to the bench after their strong performances this season, which could mean minutes will be hard to come by for third-choice option Dragusin.
The Romania international joined Tottenham from Serie A side Genoa in January for a fee of £26.7million (Sky Sports News, 12 January).
Despite splashing the cash on the 22-year-old, Postecoglou is yet to hand the defender his first start in Spurs colours, which will leave supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with very little information to make a judgement of the player.
However, if Johan Lange’s comments are anything to go by, those supporters should be very excited.
Speaking for the first time since joining the club in November, Spurs’ technical director said (via Tottenham’s Official X, 8 February), “We’ve seen Radu being very strong for Genoa over a long period.
“He has the speed and he’s very strong one vs one, but he’s just turned 22. He’s a very young player with a lot of growth for the future. Again, he has settled in well to the club but there is much more to come from him in the years to come.”
Dragusin the future of Tottenham
It is understandable why Dragusin is yet to be handed his first start in a Spurs shirt, and with the club only competing in the Premier League, a lack of games between now and the end of the season might mean Dragusin is left waiting.
However, with a likely return to Europe next season one way or another, there will be plenty more matches and therefore minutes to go around, and Dragusin will certainly be seen far more regularly.
Based on his three cameo displays so far, there is no reason to suggest that Lange is wrong in his assessment of the player.
Coming on in the 85th minute to make his debut in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday 14 January, Dragusin looked relatively composed considering the circumstances throughout his 11 minutes on the pitch.
As per Sofascore, he completed 100 per cent of his passes and made one interception and one clearance as he helped a depleted Spurs side leave Manchester with a valuable point.
In the 3-2 win against Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday 31 January, Dragusin was once again introduced in the closing stages as he helped his team hold on to win the match, winning his one aerial duel and making one clearance.
His most recent appearance came against Everton in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday 3 February, and although on this occasion he wasn’t able to help Spurs hold on to their lead as Jarrad Branthwaite scored a 94th-minute equaliser from a set-piece, he couldn’t have done much about the goal.
What he did do was win his one ground duel, one aerial duel and make one clearance.
Dragusin has so far been used in high-pressure situations and he has still been able to show a sense of composure. When the time does come to start him, he has already proven that he can be counted on.
In other Tottenham news, a “magnificent” Spurs player has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award for January.
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