Since signing for Tottenham Hotspur in January, Radu Dragusin has had to wait patiently for his opportunity to shine.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are the two first-choice centre-backs for Ange Postecoglou, but the former Genoa ace could change that very soon.
The 22-year-old defender only made four Premier League starts for the Lilywhites last campaign, with his involvement towards the end of the season mainly due to the lack of options at left-back forcing Van de Ven out wide.
So, why could things change? Well, he's starring at Euro 2024.
Dragusin’s performance against Ukraine
This week, Dragusin became a hero for his nation, Romania, with a performance that could just make the Australian boss think twice about his selections next season.
Going into the game against Ukraine, Romania were considered a heavy underdog, but thanks to a resilient performance, they won 3-0.
Dragusin was at the heart of his nation’s triumph, starting at centre half and dominating La Liga’s top scorer, Artem Dovbyk.
The Spurs rock made an impressive ten clearances and won all of his three duels, putting his body on the line for his country.
Romania’s number three also brought composure to the backline even under intense pressure, giving the ball away just twice and boasting a pass accuracy of 89%.
Touches
33
Pass accuracy
89%
Possession lost
2
Clearances
10
Blocks
2
Duels won
3/3
Dribbled past
0
If he continues to perform in such a manner, his involvement will increase massively next term, but that can’t be said for one of his Tottenham teammates who's also out in Germany this summer.
Why Tottenham must sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Ever since his move to the Lilywhites almost four years ago under Jose Mourinho, Denmark international Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been an ever-present figure in the middle of the park.
However, that wasn’t the case under Postecoglou, who preferred a midfield pairing of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr for the majority of the campaign.
This means that the Dane had to settle for a substitute role, and although he played 36 times in the Premier League, the 28-year-old made just eight starts.
The lack of defensive security or technical class he brought to the team proved to be his downfall, making less than one tackle per game on average and only having a pass accuracy of 89%. But what exactly does Hojbjerg earn at Spurs?
1. Heung-min Son
£190k
2. James Maddison
£170k
3. Timo Werner, Cristian Romero
£165k
4. Dejan Kulusevski
£110k
5. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
£100k
According to Capology, Hojbjerg is one of the highest-earning players in the entire Spurs squad, with only five players having a higher salary.
The former Southampton player earns £100k per week, which equates to £5.2m per season, a total take home that is higher than Dragusin’s £85k per week and £4.42m per year.
The number five also earns more than the likes of Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie, who are all much more important to the boss’ style of play and approach.
Furthermore, he’s the second-highest-paid midfielder at the club, only behind James Maddison, and he’s also the second-highest-earning Dane in the league, only with a lower salary than Christian Eriksen.
Given his wage and lack of involvement recently, it’s no surprise to see that the “irresponsible” Hojbjerg, as dubbed by journalist Arlo White, is all but confirmed to be leaving Spurs this summer.
Overall, it’s quite clear that the only solution is for Hojbjerg to leave this summer, and therefore, Spurs must look to sell their defensive midfielder this summer as a priority.
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