Tottenham completed the signing of Radu Dragusin from Genoa in January, after a week long saga.
Despite facing strong competition from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, Spurs managed to secure the young centre-half from Genoa, with the player reportedly choosing the North London club over the German champions.
In a deal valued at €25 million, with an additional €5 million in add-ons, Dragusin signed a six-year contract with the Lilywhites. His arrival at Tottenham generated excitement among fans and pundits alike, eager to witness the potential he could bring to the team.
The 22-year-old’s talent was further highlighted when he was awarded Romania’s 2023 Player of the Year award last December, cementing his status as a rising star in the football world.
However, not everyone was convinced of Dragusin’s deservingness of such recognition. Former Romanian striker Florin Raducioiu publicly expressed scepticism about Dragusin’s abilities, suggesting that attackers should be the ones receiving such accolades, not defenders.
Raducioiu has now publicly apologised for his harsh comments, acknowledging that he may have been overly critical in his assessment.
He clarified that his remarks were not meant as a personal attack but rather reflected his views on what defines a deserving recipient of such awards.
Speaking to Orange Sport, he admitted:
“It was not a personal thing. It was just my reaction, maybe a bit harsh, I admit, with that word ‘shepherd’. I think I made a mistake there, I apologise, and actually I did it a few months ago.
“I understand that this Tottenham transfer took off, but nothing justified it and no one should reward him as the best player in Romania. I believe that Romania’s best player must be a show player, a player who conveys emotion to me, which Drăguşin did not do. That was it, nothing personal.”
Dragusin made his first start for Tottenham during the 3-0 defeat against Fulham last week and did not have the best of games. He was blamed for 2 of the 3 goals Spurs conceded.
However, the player is still young and it is not easy for everyone to adapt to the pace of the Premier League immediately.
With Micky van de Ven expected to miss the game against Luton as well, Ange Postecoglou will hope that the centre-back can bounce back from his underwhelming performance against Fulham with a solid performance.
