Spurs sign £25m Romania defender Dragusin from Genoa
Tottenham have signed Romania defender Radu Dragusin from Italian side Genoa for £25m.
The Romania international, who has 13 senior caps, started all 22 of Serie A side Genoa’s matches this season.
Spurs defender Djed Spence has joined Genoa on loan for the rest of the season as part of the deal.
Dragusin, who has signed a deal that keeps him with Tottenham until the summer of 2030, began his career at Juventus and spent time on loan with Genoa before making a permanent move last summer.
Bayern Munich had also shown interest in the Romanian but have instead moved for Tottenham’s Eric Dier .
Dier, 29, has been capped 49 times by England but struggled to claim a first-team place for Tottenham this season.
He has moved to Germany on loan until the end of the season, with Bayern having an option to make the deal permanent.
Tottenham have been in the market for a centre-back to support Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, who have both suffered with injuries this season.
Postecoglou has played full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal in central defence in recent weeks to cover injuries in the back line.
Spence’s season-long loan deal at Leeds was cut short earlier this month and he returned to Spurs after making only seven appearances in the Championship.
‘Imperious, aggressive, quick and strong’ – Analysis
Mina Rzouki, European football journalist
Dubbed the ‘Bodyguard of Genoa’ in a headline, the centre-back proved immense in Serie B last season. He featured in every league match, with Genoa boasting the second tightest defence and being duly promoted.
Back in Serie A, the player’s development has been clear to see.
Dragusin is imperious in the air, aggressive when marking, quick to clear and strong at set-pieces. He has improved on the ball, is quick and intelligent when positioning himself, and he is no longer as impulsive, with forwards having found it almost impossible to dribble past him.
More importantly, he plays with confidence, is never intimidated by the opponent, and thrives in the big moments.
You can read more from Mina Rzouki’s profile of Dragusin here.
