ange Postecoglou
Radu Dragusin has found his playing time limited at Tottenham Hotspur this season, featuring only four times. With Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven establishing themselves as one of the Premier League’s strongest centre-back partnerships, Dragusin has been sidelined.
His season took a further hit early in Tottenham’s Europa League campaign when he received a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity just seven minutes into the game after losing control of the ball. Since then, manager Ange Postecoglou has only granted Dragusin a nine-minute appearance as a substitute, raising questions about his future at the club. Despite this, reports from *The Mirror* suggest that Dragusin is not looking to leave in the upcoming January transfer window. The Romanian has a long-term contract with the club, lasting until June 2030.
In May, Dragusin’s agent, Florin Manea, proposed a tactical change to help solve Tottenham’s defensive issues.
Florin Manea said, “The coach said many times he does not want to play with a three-man defence, evidently he knows best, but Tottenham concede a ton of goals. I also think Tottenham concede a lot of goals from set plays, so Dragusin would be very helpful due to his power in the air, he used to get all the headers at Genoa.”
Despite this suggestion, Postecoglou has remained committed to his current defensive setup with Romero and Van de Ven. Nevertheless, the Spurs manager has continued to express his confidence in Dragusin’s role at the club.
Ange Postecoglou said, “He did well. It’s a unique challenge here, the crowd create a strong atmosphere, and I thought he handled it well. They’ve got some threats up front, particularly Isak with his pace, and a couple of times he handled that really well. Overall, it’s a great experience for him, still only 22, and he’s going to play a big part in our season. Getting through that will stand him in good stead. I thought he was good. It was a great opportunity to expose him. I mean, he’s only 22. He’s still a young man, especially for a defender and I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat.”
Postecoglou, speaking after a match against Newcastle at St. James’ Park, emphasized Dragusin’s performance and potential value to Tottenham. Despite his recent limited playtime, the manager sees a significant role for the young defender in the future, particularly as he gains more experience in challenging environments.
