Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi and the club’s top management are at odds over what should happen to Luka Vuskovic – after Brighton have made their third bid for the young stopper. Former Spurs scout Mick Brown reports.
Tottenham have been very active in the summer transfer window and have already brought in two new centre-backs in Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke. This has immediately created questions about what will happen to several of the existing defensive giants in the squad.
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Currently, De Zerbi has no fewer than seven centre-backs to choose from for only two places in his preferred system: Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Senesi, Van Hecke – and young Vuskovic.
With Van Hecke soon in place, it seems inevitable that at least two of these will have to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the summer.
Of those already at the club, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso seem the most likely to stay – although the former has been linked with Liverpool this week in reports from his home country. Captain Cristian Romero’s future has been the subject of speculation for months, and Radu Dragusin has also been mentioned in transfer rumours.
Tottenham fans were hoping to see more of Vuskovic after a successful loan spell at Hamburg last season. Instead, he has now become a hot name in the transfer market – with Brighton being the most eager suitor.
Brighton press on – Vuskovic wants to leave himself
Brighton have just made a third bid of £45 million for the Croatian international, after two previous bids have already been rejected by Spurs in recent days.
Now, Brown reports to Football Insider that there is also a conflict of interest between De Zerbi and the club management. According to sources, the Italian is willing to let Vuskovic leave the club as early as this summer – if the right conditions are in place.
The management, on the other hand, would prefer to keep the highly rated 19-year-old, unless they get a really good offer. Some sources suggest that Tottenham want around £70 million for the Croatian. Alternatively, they prefer a new loan stay if he is to leave.
Brown states:
“It seems that De Zerbi is comfortable letting Vuskovic leave this summer. But Tottenham don’t necessarily think the same. They brought him in as a young player who could develop over time and become a key player in the long run – not immediately. He is still very highly valued and impressed greatly on loan in Hamburg last year. From what I’ve heard, they would be open to letting him go on loan again.”
Experienced players ahead of young talents
De Zerbi already hinted at the end of last season that he prefers experience to young talent. Back then, he regularly chose players such as João Palhinha over youngsters Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall – despite both having played important roles for much of the campaign.
The pick-ups of Senesi and Van Hecke confirm the impression that the Italian is banking on established forces in his quest to climb up the Premier League table. In practice, this means that playing time for a player like Vuskovic – no matter how much potential he has – will be very limited under De Zerbi.
The player wants a permanent transfer
Although a new loan would probably suit both Tottenham and De Zerbi, Vuskovic himself is pushing for a permanent transfer. He wants to play regularly – and knows that the chances of that are greater elsewhere.
Now the ball is in Brighton’s court. If they manage to make a bid that makes Tottenham management consider the sale of one of the club’s most promising talents, the transfer could become a reality.
The question remains: will Tottenham let one of the greatest defensive talents of the future leave the club – or will they stick with Vuskovic despite the manager’s wishes?
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