RADU DRAGUSIN
Tottenham Hotspur, 2024-
Ange Postecoglou’s first months as Tottenham manager brought a feel-good factor thanks to the style of play he implemented, as well as results. The Australian quickly won the faith of the fans, with his summer signings having an immediate impact on the team. So, when Tottenham beat no less a club than Bayern Munich to the signing of Radu Dragusin, those same supporters were entitled to feel excited at the prospect of his transfer.
Aged 21 when he arrived at Spurs, Dragusin’s 6ft 3ins stature and strong build belied his relative youth. Born in Bucharest in 2002, Dragusin’s early promise was such that Juventus snapped him up at the age of 18, reportedly ahead of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid.
He made four senior appearances for the Old Lady before going on loan to Sampdoria, Salernitana and Genoa. His performances helped Genoa win promotion to Serie A for the 2023/24 season, and secured him a permanent move to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Thanks to his impressive displays in Italy’s top flight — including an equaliser against league leaders Inter (above) — the Romanian international soon found himself in demand again.
“Before the window opened we made the decision that Radu would be our number-one priority,” said Postecoglou. “I like his defensive attributes, his physical attributes.”
Here, our UEFA-licensed coaches have analysed Dragusin’s style of play, his position and other aspects of his game…
Technical analysis
Dragusin is a right-footed centre-back with experience of playing in a back four and back three. He likes to defend on the front foot, and looks to aggressively intercept, pinch or steal the ball as it is worked into his direct opponent (below). To do this he accelerates well in reaction to opposition passes, slowing down as he arrives. This prevents clumsy contact with opponents that can lead to fouls and yellow cards.
His aggression is controlled but assertive, leading to regular interceptions and successful duels. He prefers to directly engage, so any centre-back partner needs to be close by to provide consistent and appropriate cover, especially in a back four.
Another key trait of his defensive style is recovering back and defending the penalty area. He is also adept at making last-ditch or emergency challenges, to stop attempts on goal. This can occur when he has committed forward to duel or pinch the ball, but the next phase of play has progressed the ball beyond his new defensive position. In these moments, he narrows his recovery runs well, often ending in areas that have attacking potential for the opposition (below).
Dragusin will also look to bump his direct opponent when recovering back, working shoulder to shoulder. With his impressive upper-body strength, he can physically compete with and disrupt a forward-running attacker. This is also the case when he competes for loose balls, or when an attacker has attempted to knock the ball and run beyond him.
When tracking runners, covering the spaces inside, or those behind his full-back/wing-back, Dragusin will look to physically impose himself. That said, there have been occasions when an attacker has placed their body cleverly between Dragusin and the ball, so that the resulting first contact goes into the back of the attacker. These are 1v1 moments when Dragusin could show more restraint, usually when recovering in the inside channel.
But his aggression is usually an asset when defending inside the penalty area, with blocks, duels and clearances. He fully commits to challenges, putting his body on the line to protect the goal and limit goalscoring opportunities.
With clearances, he can play balls into good areas for teammates to counter-press and regain. Or he will clear his lines with height and distance, including heading the ball away. His ability to duel aerially inside the box is impressive, using a powerful leap to clear the danger.
On the ball
In possession, Dragusin is comfortable driving out from the back, progressing into midfield. He makes use of his upper-body strength to hold off opponents, rather than progressing with skill or speed.
He is comfortable receiving under pressure, although before signing for Tottenham he had yet to fully experience consistent short passing and playing out from the back at the highest level. Many of his appearances in Serie A came in mid and low-block defensive displays, not necessarily building and dominating possession. In Serie B, however, Dragusin was able to regularly receive and contribute towards a shorter build-up.
His longer passes are drilled, and tend to focus on spaces behind the opposition’s back line (below). These are ideal for teammates who operate on the last line, but there is room for improvement with his longer passing into feet.
Back four
At Genoa, Dragusin often played with three central midfielders ahead of his central-defensive role. In a back four — as part of a 4-2-3-1 or a narrow 4-3-2-1 in Serie B — he played mostly on the left side of a central-defensive pairing with Mattia Bani (below). The selection of Genoa’s left-back was less consistent, with various players filling in across the promotion-winning campaign. That meant Dragusin had to remain flexible and versatile, with regular changes to whoever supported and covered the wide-left areas.
Dragusin was often the defender who pushed out of the back line into midfield, registering more defensive duels and interceptions than Bani in 2022/23. The full-backs would then narrow to cover underneath Dragusin’s advances, providing extra support around Bani, who often competed in aerial duels as teams looked to play over Dragusin.
Just ahead, the central-midfield trio was often a double pivot and number 10, with the experienced duo of Kevin Strootman and Milan Badelj battling for second balls around Dragusin. These pivots also provided well-timed back-pressure to stop opponents from linking play through midfield. In the areas between the lines, Dragusin was often ready to intercept and connect into the double pivots or attackers.
Back three
At times during 2022/23 — and certainly in the first half of the following Serie A season — Genoa played three centre-backs in back-five formations. For the most part, three central midfielders remained ahead of this central defence, with Dragusin often the middle centre-back, as well as occasionally playing on the right side. This flexibility helped him improve his defensive game, particularly in 1v1s, while he maintained his aggressive jumping into midfield.
Following promotion, Genoa deployed a low block more often, with Dragusin defending just off the edge of the penalty area for longer spells. When used as the middle centre-back, his aggressive positioning and defensive style supported a single pivot, with two number eights ahead responsible for pressing back (below), as the double pivots had previously done.
When operating in a wider role in a back three, Dragusin could still jump forward to engage. He also had to provide more cover and work back more towards his own goal. Not just because of the low-block, but also to support, cover and protect against balls bent around or inside his wing-back.
These moments tested Dragusin the most, especially if an attacker manipulated their body shape to receive around him. He then sometimes made unnecessary challenges, as his opponent shielded and protected the ball, awaiting the contact.
At Tottenham, he can expect to continue his learning curve and impressive development. On his arrival, he faced stern competition to get a starting place ahead of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. At the same time, the opportunity to play with and learn from his new teammates promised to be a major benefit.
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