Ange Postecoglou’s Radu Dragusin, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven Tottenham plan revealed

Ange Postecoglou now has a number of very good options at centre-back following Radu Dragusin’s move to Tottenham from Genoa the return of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven from injury

Radu Dragusin is a new signing for Tottenham, and the head coach Ange Postecoglou has stated that he would not play in a back three. After bringing in Micky van de Ven in the summer of last year and seeing him click right away with Cristian Romero at center-back, Dragusin’s move from Genoa has given Spurs another fantastic option at the center of defense.

As a result, Postecoglou will have a difficult time making selections in the process—one that the Spurs manager is undoubtedly looking forward to, considering that the team now has three extremely excellent center backs. Dragusin’s arrival will undoubtedly make Romero and Van de Ven more competitive, and it may even push them to new heights in their fight for a spot on the team.

In the midst of speculation about Postecoglou’s management style regarding the trio—one player will be benched each week—he discussed Dragusin’s acquisition and his plans for his center backs going forward.

When asked if he would consider playing a back three, he responded, “No, because even though you describe it that way, the reality is I have had zero centre-backs for two positions for the majority of this year so I’ve had to play full-backs in there,” at his pre-game press conference on Friday. “We brought Radu in because we need more than just two excellent center backs, and there will be games where we want to make changes. It’s not just about injuries.

“With Radu joining us, we now have the chance to have three excellent center backs. Different games will require different things, and it will help us control those guys’ playing time so we don’t sustain as many injuries as we have.”

Upon being asked how he would move Dragusin from a defensive line at Genoa that was known for intense pressing to an attacking line at Tottenham, he responded, saying, “I spoke with Radu regarding the style difference, and he loved that we obviously play very differently for what he is used to. That caught his interest and appears to be what he needs for his next professional step.

Once more, I found that to be gratifying because it will

e very different, but again he is a quick learner and already he is asking all the questions he needs to ask on what he needs to do to improve and I am sure he will do that.”

As Romania gets ready for Euro 2024, head coach Edward Iordanescu wants Dragusin to play frequently from now until the end of the season. Although Postecoglou thinks the center back’s move to north London will only help the Romanian national team in the long run, it is undoubtedly not a guarantee at Tottenham.

“He will have the same opportunities as everyone else, but also if Radu just wanted to play, he would have stayed at Genoa,” said the 58-year-old. “He has come to a big club and when you go to a big club, you know you have to compete. That’s part of your development and even for the Romanian national team, Radu being at a big club and competing against a World Cup winner in Romero and Micky van de Ven, fast becoming one of the best defenders in space, is exactly where Radu needs to be and will benefit the national team.”

Postecoglou talked about Dragusin’s position in his club and how Tottenham determined that he was their top defensive target in the January transfer window.The Spurs head coach said that he had been keeping a careful check on the Romanian youngster ever since Johan Lange and his group initially mentioned signing him six weeks ago.

“We’ve been working on the centre-back position pretty much since the summer window closed and there’s been a whole list of players we worked through methodically,” stated the Australian. “The scouting department completed a large portion of that work, and after Johan joined, Rob Mackenzie and the team began delving deeper into the specifics.

“I was probably seen it about six weeks ago. Radu was always considered as one of the players we thought would be a good fit for us after that. Next, it was about learning as much as possible about him—both as a person and as a player. We tried to get him scouted again and spoke to as many people as we could about him. Ever since we brought him to light, I have been keeping an eye on him.

When it came down to the specifics, I believed he was the greatest choice for us. Radu was going to be our top priority, we decided before the window opened. His physical and defensive qualities appeal to me, and he still has a lot of room to grow. A great deal of progress in him. Not only does he fit the profile of the kind of player we want here, but he’s only 21 and has only spent one year—not even a full year—in Serie A.”