Analysis

Radu Dragusin: Tottenham centre-back true to his word - and has character to succeed alongside Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham have completed the signing of defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa; Italian football expert Mina Rzouki: "Dragusin's agent said he couldn't believe his player turned down Bayern Munich but he gave his word to Ange Potecoglou and he has honoured it"

By Italian football expert Mina Rzouki

Friday 12 January 2024 14:07, UK

Tottenham have signed defender Radu Dragusin in a £26.7m (€31m) deal from Genoa after the Romania international chose to join Spurs over Bayern Munich.

Spurs beat off late competition from the German champions to conclude a deal that will see them pay an initial £21.5m (€25m) plus £5.2m (€6m) in add-ons to Genoa.

Napoli had also registered an interest in Dragusin, who has signed a six-and-a-half-year deal with Spurs.

A centre-back signing had been a priority for Spurs this month after the club's lack of cover in the position had been exposed in recent weeks.

The 21-year-old - labelled "the Romanian Virgil van Dijk" in Italy - becomes Ange Postecoglou's second January signing after the arrival of forward Timo Werner on loan until the end of the season.

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki tells Sky Sports about what Tottenham fans can expect from their new centre-back, who overcame rejection at Juventus - and why he turned down Bayern Munich...

'What stands out about Dragusin is his size'

Let's start with the good stuff. He is an interesting character as straightaway when he was at Juventus, and was handed his debut by Andrea Pirlo, what stood out was his size.

He's so tall and has got great physique. It's really difficult to win a duel against him. He owns everything on an aerial level. He's very strong and aggressive in his type of defending.

Pirlo wanted him to train with the first-team squad to improve his technique and what you see at Genoa is that he now better on the ball.

He's not a ball-playing defender, and is not someone who is going to progress the ball on his own at the back, but he delivers a great long pass, but it's also very difficult to dribble past him.

He's not super fast but fast enough but he's going to be difficult to beat at set pieces and he loves to score a goal. He recently scored the equaliser against Inter Milan to ensure Genoa earned a point.

One thing that everyone who has ever worked with Dragusin has told me that the first thing they notice is his size, but secondly and most importantly it is his character that has stood out.

Everyone talks about his exemplary professionalism, how hard he works, how much he is willing to learn and improve.

It's so rare to find these days when you're looking for players. He understands what it takes to be the best and he is working every day to improve the skills he has.

One thing to note is that Genoa play differently to Tottenham as they don't like to keep possession and prefer to strike you on the counter-attack.

Dragusin made his debut in the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv but at the time his family couldn't come and cheer him from the sidelines due to the Covid pandemic in 2020.

As fate would have it as a Romanian player, he was playing against the most highly decorated Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu.

At the time, Fabio Paratici was the sporting director at Juventus and Andrea Pirlo was initially hired to be the Under -23 head coach. Both were big fans of his. When he was hired to the first team, Pirlo wanted to take him with him.

He didn't end up playing too many games, but the debut was a big deal for him at the time. His mother said she was screaming at the telly in their house at the time.

He comes from a big sporting family, as his mother represented Romania in basketball, his father was a volleyball player and his sister also played basketball.

It's in the genes if you like to having sporting discipline as he made his way to Genoa, where he played almost every single minute last season. They had the second best defence in Serie B, and that's why they were promoted.

Why did he turn down Bayern?

Dragusin's agent said he couldn't believe his player turned down Bayern but it's something to note about the player that he did give his word to Ange Potecoglou and he has honoured it.

That's part of his character but he's followed the Premier League closely and it's the league he's always wanted to join.

He feels it will suit his skills perfectly. It also has a lot to do with the character of the coach. He spoke previously about his relationship with Pirlo.

What stood out for him was the way that he approached the dressing room so calmly. He was never an authoritarian who shouted and screamed at his players but just commanded respect.

He was encouraging and motivating. He found that exciting to work with. He wanted to please him and he wanted to work with him.

He found that at Genoa working under Alberto Gilardino. He's very loved in the dressing room, and may feel he has found the same thing with Postecoglou at Spurs.

What will Dragusin offer Spurs?

Dragusin joined Juventus at the age of 16 after excelling in Romania for Real Sport Bucharest. The 21-year-old's calmness on the ball in tight spaces and commanding displays have resulted in comparisons with Van Dijk.

You would expect such a compliment about someone who can complete a Rubik's Cube in 45 seconds. Dragusin has started every Serie A game this season and excels in the air - ranking third in the league for winning aerial duels.

Only Cagliari's Alberto Dossena has completed more clearances, while Dragusin also poses a threat at the other end of the pitch - ranking ninth for headed shots.

The centre-back has been deployed in a back three at Genoa but can play across that line.

Follow the January transfer window

The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February, 2024.

To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, LaLiga, and LFP, who will all close their summer and winter windows on 1 September and 1 February respectively.

Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms, while you can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News, including daily transfer shows, and listen to our Transfer Talk podcast.