Tottenham Hotspur’s quest for a top-four finish suffered a significant setback on Saturday with a surprising 3-0 loss to Fulham.
The game also witnessed a debut start for Spurs’ January signing Radu Dragusin, who came in to replace the injured Micky van de Ven.
But Spurs’ former scout Bryan King was unimpressed by the Romanian defender’s performance, noting that he struggled to keep up with the intense pace of Premier League football during his first start.
Speaking to Tottenham News, King criticised Dragusin’s defensive positioning and awareness, blaming him for Fulham’s first and third goal.
The pundit pointed out that the centre-back’s inability to anticipate Muniz’s movements led to the mistakes in both his goals, highlighting Dragusin’s slow reactions and susceptibility to being caught ball-watching.
King said:
“I wasn’t convinced by Dragusin, he wasn’t up to the pace of the game at all.
“He doesn’t look elegant at all, not like van de Ven. His movement worried me, he defended square on and he kept getting caught ball-watching.
“He was badly at fault for the third goal, he reacted so slowly. He was watching the ball and by the time he reacted, Rodrigo Muniz had put it in the back of the net.
“It was the same for Muniz’s first goal, he was looking at where the ball was coming from, he wasn’t aware of what was around him. Muniz was much smarter than Dragusin with his movement off him.”
TBH Says:
Dragusin may not have had the best debut in Spurs’ colours, but it shouldn’t detract from his talent, considering his incredible potential at just 22 years old.
Adapting to the pace of the Premier League is not easy, specially if you’re a young defender. We are sure he will prove to be a decent signing once he settles.
