Tottenham Hotspur’s £26 million acquisition of Radu Dragusin has earned plenty of praise from fellow Romanian Vlad Chiriches with the centre-half following in his Premier League footsteps.
With all due respect to a man who arrived at Spurs back in 2013 as part of that disastrous, post-Gareth Bale splurge, the hope will be that Radu Dragusin makes a far larger impression in this part of London than his compatriot did.
Chiriches, after all, managed fewer than 30 Premier League appearances and left Tottenham Hotspur after a grand total of two seasons.
Dragusin, a £26 million January arrival from Serie A giants Genoa, arrives amid far loftier expectations, however, with Ange Postecoglou’s side fighting off confirmed interest from AC Milan, Napoli, Bayern Munich and top-flight rivals Newcastle United.
Tottenham Hotspur win Radu Dragusin race
“Dragusin is a phenomenon of Romanian football and a prototype, the model of the Romanian footballer,” a now-34-year-old Chiriches tells Fanatik.
“No, it’s not surprising at all (that Tottenham signed him). Maybe many will say; ‘Yes, he played one year at Genoa’. But few see what happened behind the scenes. He played at Juventus, trained there, then went on loan to Sampdoria, Salernitana and went through a lot of pretty tough situations.
“In the end, he found a team that suited him. He had a very good performance and now he is at a great club.”
At just 21 and with only a few months of consistent Serie A action under his belt, Dragusin remains relatively unproven at the top level of European football. Chiriches, however, has no doubts that the 6ft 3ins colossus – who has often been likened to Virgil van Dijk due to his ability on and off the ball – has the ability and the attitude required to thrive in English football.
‘Extraordinary’
“(Tottenham) is a big club with ambitions, even if they haven’t won a title recently. It’s an important club in England with an incredible infrastructure. It’s amazing that Radu is there,” adds Chiriches, who is currently back home in Romania with FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest).
“I don’t want to talk about dangers. I think he has shown so far that he can cope in tough situations and at good clubs. Everything he has done so far, I think has been very good and he has people with him who help him mentally.
“I see him as a strong, aggressive central defender. I think these are his main qualities, and they are extraordinary for a centre-back.”
Dragusin became Tottenham’s second signing of the window, following RB Leipzig loanee Timo Werner to the English capital.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
