'I don't think Tottenham will part with him': Agent convinced Spurs will not sell £26m man

For Tottenham Hotspur’s £26 million man, his time in English football has largely been a case of one step forward, another step back.

And if he was hoping for more regular opportunities this season, the performances Radu Dragusin has produced on the rare occasions in which he has been included in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI will not have done his chances much good.

Dragusin struggled badly as Tottenham needed two late goals to see off second-tier Coventry City in the EFL Cup. His only Premier League start in 2024/25 came during the 2-1 defeat by Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

And, during Dragusin’s most recent appearance in Postecoglou’s XI, he lasted only seven minutes against FK Qarabag in the Europa League.

Sent off only moments after kick-off as he dragged down a Qarabag attacker when through on goal, the Romania international cannot catch a break.

And, nine months after he arrived in North London from Genoa, Tottenham fans are yet to really see the Dragusin who dominated the best attackers in Serie A. Dragusin found himself on the radars of Napoli and Bayern Munich before choosing North London too.

Agent says Radu Dragusin is staying at Tottenham Hotspur

Napoli, now top of the table under former Spurs boss Antonio Conte, have been linked again with Dragusin recently.

But his ever-outspoken agent, Florin Manea, insists that the ponytailed powerhouse remains determined to fight for his place at Tottenham, even if that is easier said than done with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven ahead of him in Postecoglou’s pecking order.

“No, no,” Manea tells Sport pe Surse when asked if the 2023 Italian champions have made contact.

“It is normal for Napoli to have him on the list. He is a footballer who played well in Italy. I don’t think that Tottenham will part with Radu, even in the current situation, where he is not a starter.

“Apart from Romero and Van de Ven, they have no one [at centre-half]. I think that Radu will get more chances this year. And, if he plays 20 to 25 matches this season, I’m satisfied.

“We even talked after that moment in the Europa League when he saw red. He told me; ‘I’m learning, I’m putting it behind me and we’re moving forward’,” Manea adds, Dragusin suspended for that win away to Ferencvaros in matchday two.

“I think that, at this big level, the mentality is the most important. You have to fight and overcome the moments. In football, you live from one week to the next.”

Ange Postecoglou expects Dragusin to succeed at Spurs

Tottenham boss Postecoglou is keen to preach patience with Dragusin. The one-time Juventus youngster is still only 22 years of age, after all.

And he should not be written off after only a few months in which he is yet to be handed a run of games in Spurs’ first-team.

Furthermore, there is no shame in being kept out of the XI by World Cup winner Romero and arguably the finest left-sided centre-half in the league; Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven combining outstanding defensive awareness with the speed of Gareth Bale.

“He’s going to play a big part in our season,” Postecoglou told reporters at the start of September after that Newcastle reverse.

“I mean, he’s only 22. He’s still a young man, especially for a defender. And I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat, the particular threat that Newcastle posed with [Alexander] Isak up front, he had to be really concentrated, and I thought he was.

“I think he’s going to play a big part in our season. Him coming through that, that whole experience, will set him up well.”