The unpredictable nature of Tottenham Hotspur’s form this season continues to be a problem for Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian’s side dismantled an incredibly talented Aston Villa outfit last Sunday, but fell to a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray during the week and lost to Ipswich Town on the weekend.
The Tractor Boys were still without a Premier League victory heading into the game, and while they have some talented players in their side, they were massive underdogs.
November 10th
Premier League
Ipswich Town
2-1 (L)
November 7th
Europa League
Galatasaray
32 (L)
November 3rd
Premier League
Aston Villa (H)
4-1 (W)
October 30th
League Cup
Manchester City (H)
2-1 (W)
October 27th
Premier League
Crystal Palace (A)
1-0 (L)
Yet, the North Londoners managed to fall apart totally, and while there were plenty of poor performances across the board, one player once again stood out for the wrong reasons, a player who has become a real liability this season: Radu Dragusin.
Dragusin's dreadful form
Yes, arguably the worst player on the pitch yesterday afternoon was Romanian centre-back Dragusin, and while a poor performance here or there is forgivable, it’s not been just one bad performance from the 22-year-old this year.
He’s made nine appearances for the team so far, and while he did look quite good against Villa and Manchester City, he’s generally looked out of his depth in defence.
For example, Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded the defender just a 3/10 match rating for his performance on Sunday, a 3/10 for his display against Galatasaray during the week, and a paltry 6/10 against Championship side Coventry City in September.
Moreover, he started in the defeat to Newcastle United earlier in the season and got himself sent off early in the game against Qarabağ, only for his teammates to save his skin by taking their chances in front of goal.
Lastly, his underlying numbers aren’t all that impressive, with FBref ranking him in just the top 41% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for blocks, the top 43% for clearances, the top 45% for interceptions, the bottom 42% for passes completed and the bottom 13% for tackles, all per 90.
In all, the former Genoa ace isn’t doing enough to justify his position as Postecoglou’s third-choice centre-back, but the good news is that recent reports have linked the North Londoners with someone who could be the dream upgrade.
Spurs' dream Dragusin upgrade
Now, there are plenty of promising defenders out there at the moment, but according to a report from the Boot Room late last week, Spurs are incredibly keen on Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande.
The report claims that the North Londoners see the 20-year-old as a potential long-term replacement for Cristian Romero should the Argentine leave the club in the near future.
However, given the interest from other top teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, confirmed in the story, they’d do well to act on their interest as soon as possible, regardless of what happens to Romero, as the Ivorian could replace Dragusin instead.
That said, it’s a move that would cost Daniel Levy and Co a pretty penny, as according to the report, the “immense” centre-back, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has a release clause of £68m. While that’s a seriously significant amount, it could prove value for money down the line.
For example, despite being so young, the Abidjan-born titan has made 69 appearances for the Portuguese giants and played a crucial role in their league triumph last season.
Moreover, the 6 foot 3 “leader”, as dubbed by Portuguese football writer Kevin Fernandes, has become a crucial member of the Côte d’Ivoire national team, earning eight senior caps so far and starting two games in their Africa Cup of Nations winning campaign this year.
Lastly, when we directly compare the former Midtjylland prospect’s underlying numbers to Dragusin’s, there is only one winner.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.10
0.01
Progressive Passes
2.39
4.19
Passing Accuracy
95%
87%
Shot-Creating Actions
1.13
0.00
Goal-Creating Actions
0.23
0.00
Tackles
1.48
0.65
Tackles Won
0.80
0.00
Blocks
0.34
1.29
Interceptions
1.02
0.97
Errors Leading to a Shot
0.11
0.65
Ball Recoveries
5.57
3.23
Aerial Duels Won
3.52
2.90
For example, while the Sporting ace comes out second best in a couple of metrics such as progressive passes and blocks, he comes out way ahead in most others, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, passing accuracy, shot and goal-creating actions, tackles and tackles won, interceptions, errors leading to a shot, ball recoveries and aerial duels won, all per 90.
Ultimately, Dragusin has shown his talent in glimpses, but it is clear that he’s not up to the standard Spurs or Postecoglou require. Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to sign Diomande in 2025 before someone else does.
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