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Radu Dragusin’s frustrating case at Tottenham… how does Ange handle his minutes? – OPINION

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Jainil Shah | Last updated Oct 27, 2024 10:03 AM ET

Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin moved to White Hart Lane on the back of some exemplary performances in the Italian top tier; however, he has not been getting in consistent minutes under his belt for the North Londoners, which has been a thing of frustration among supporters, the player, and his representative as well.

The Romanian defender has been playing second fiddle to the first choice and has barely found any game time with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven having a solid partnership, which is difficult to break into unless there is an injury.

However, the inconsistent performances of Romero this season have called Dragusin to be called into the side.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a strong European Championship performance, and many thought that would be his opportunity to break into Ange Postecoglou’s side this summer; however, that has not been the case, and now the frustrations are growing and he has been linked with a move away from North London.

It is difficult for Daniel Levy to sanction his sale given his very high ceiling and potential.

Can Dragusin break into the first team?

Ange Postecoglou needs to find a way to get minutes under Dragusin’s belt. One aspect could be playing Mikey van de Ven wide on the left fullback role and slotting in Dragusin against teams with high pace and power right wingers to contain their attacks in a potent way. Another could be benching the likes of Romero and Van de Ven and managing their minutes given how it is going to be a long season.

Dragusin needs to start getting some game time under his belt soon, or we may watch a highly rated talent leave Tottenham and potentially seek opportunities away from Hotspur Way to realise his full potential.

These are the situations where the club has to find delicate balance between developing young talent and maintaining immediate competitive performance on the pitch, which being said would not have a massive decrease given how good Dragusin has been.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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