Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Vušković refuses to talk about his future beyond this season.
Last summer, the Croatia international arrived at the club, after Spurs agreed a £12m [€13.9m] deal with Hajduk Split in September 2023.
Prior to joining the Premier League side, he had loan spells at Radomiak Radom and KVC Westerlo. Towards the end of August, Tottenham let the defender join Hamburg SV on a season-long loan deal.
The temporary move to the Bundesliga has helped the centre-back continue his growth, and the statistics back it up.
Last season, he played 2,971 minutes from 36 matches for the Belgian club and scored seven goals. This came from an xG [expected goals] of 3.56. He has 1,980 minutes from 22 matches for Hamburg so far, scoring five goals from 3.96 xG.
The Tottenham man’s defensive performances have also improved when compared to last season. The below mentioned figures are per game and the first is for Hamburg and the second is his stats from Westerlo.
Interceptions: 1.1 – 0.8
Tackles: 0.7 – 0.8
Dribbled past: 0.2 – 0.4
Clearances: 8.7 – 5.6
The 19-year-old picked up six yellow cards and one red card with the Jupiler Pro League side and has only five yellow cards with Hamburg.
Vušković attracting interest
Hamburg have signed him on loan without any purchase clause. Therefore, he has to return to the north London club after this season, where he has a contract until 2030.
It’s no surprise the youngster’s rapid development is attracting interest from several top clubs, like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Earlier this week, Vušković’s agent Pini Zahavi said a decision on his future will be made at the end of this season.
“I can provide updates in exactly two months,” he said.
Bild have now spoken to the Croatian about his future at Tottenham, who are struggling in the Premier League. Spurs are 16th in the table, a point ahead of 18th placed West Ham United.
When asked whether he would return if Tottenham are relegated to the Championship, he said: “I can’t and won’t say anything about that or about the future in general. I’m their player and have a contract until 2030.”
Vušković has already won five Man of the Match awards this season. His constant rise has seen him subject to media attention from England, Germany, Croatia and across Europe.
When asked how he manages to keep his feet on the ground, he talks about Tottenham’s support.
“I try not to think about it too much and don’t read much on social media. I also have a psychologist assigned to me by Tottenham. She helps me a lot. It used to be in person, of course, but now it’s by phone. She gives me good advice on how to deal with certain things. For example, how to react to unexpected events,” Vušković explained.
Why Tottenham should retain him
The club’s immediate focus is to make sure they continue in the Premier League. A decision on the Croatian’s short-term and medium-term future then needs to be clarified in the summer.
This will be done once he returns to London, after what seems to be a successful loan spell with the Bundesliga side.
Vušković’s contract expires in 2030 and Igor Tudor’s [contract until the end of this season] successor will have a say on his Tottenham future.
Spurs could regret letting him leave, especially permanently, in the summer. Considering the development he’s had so far and the potential he has, Tottenham should do everything to retain him.
That may come via another loan to Hamburg, at least until the winter window. The defender has repeatedly said he wants to play with his brother, who is also at HSV. Mario is serving a doping ban until later this year, and another short loan would facilitate the family’s desire.