Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin has recently come under fire from Dutch sports journalist Valentijn Driessen.
These remarks come as the Netherlands prepares to face Romania in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024.
Driessen, who does not favour Dragusin, made several critical comments about the young Romanian centre-back, focusing on his appearance and abilities.
He also suggested that fellow Spurs teammate Micky van de Ven is a superior player.
Dragusin, who joined Tottenham from Genoa in January earlier this year, has been a significant addition to Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
The Lilywhites secured the promising centre-back for €25 million, with potential add-ons of €5 million.
Despite making only four Premier League starts in his nine appearances last season under Postecoglou, Dragusin has shown considerable promise.
His current performances in the European Championship have been particularly impressive.
Dragusin played a crucial role in helping Romania top Group E, ahead of Belgium, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
As Romania set to meet the Netherlands in the next round, Driessen’s comments appear to be an attempt to unsettle Dragusin and his teammates.
The journalist criticised Dragusin’s hairstyle and questioned his abilities, claiming he didn’t achieve much last season and suggesting that his agent has been pressuring Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy for a salary increase and more playing time.
Driessen even argued that Van de Ven should be preferred over Virgil van Dijk to keep Dragusin in check.
As quoted by Dutch outlet FC Update, Driessen said:
“He has a strange haircut. A woman’s hairstyle like that, with two ponytails.
“He didn’t achieve anything at all last season. He plays for Tottenham Hotspur, where he is under contract. His agent thinks he’s great. He is always stalking Daniel Levy about his player, that he should get a salary increase and should play.
“(He doesn’t play) because he is simply not good enough and Van de Ven plays there. In that respect, we might be better off playing with Van de Ven than with Virgil van Dijk, because he will keep Dragusin out of the match.”
As the match approaches on the 2nd of July, Dragusin’s performance against the Netherlands will be closely watched, with the young defender aiming to p rove his critics wrong.
