Radu Dragusin looks to have shot himself in the foot at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 24-year-old centre-back has endured a nightmare 2025-26 campaign for both club and country and looks destined to move on from Spurs when the transfer window opens.
He has made just nine appearances across all competitions in North London, but the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi as the new head coach is unlikely to hand him a surprise lifeline.
The defender also didn’t impress with Romania during the international break, having played the full 90 minutes as his country’s World Cup qualification hopes were ended by Turkey.
It is almost certain that Dragusin will leave Tottenham in the coming months, and when he does, he will surely regret previously turning down an eye-watering wage.
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Radu Dragusin turned down multiple transfer approaches
Dragusin is tied down to Spurs by a contract that will run until 2030, having signed a six-year deal after joining from Serie A club Genoa back in January 2024.
Since his arrival, he has been restricted to just 46 competitive appearances and has started only five times in the Premier League this season. Clearly, he remains out in the cold.
He will remain there, too, and it’s all his fault. Romanian outlet iAM Sport have carried quotes from his agent, Florin Manea, who has revealed that major offers were turned down.
Speaking on the iAM Stucan podcast, Manea said: “You want me to tell you something? We refused €50million over five years for Radu. €10m per year.”
That approach was made by a mystery Saudi Arabian club, and Dragusin’s representative also claimed it had the potential to reach €100m over five years.
RB Leipzig also swooped during the winter, but again, their overtures were rebuffed.
Dragusin gives Tottenham transfer headache
Dragusin, then, is committed to Tottenham for the long-term, having waved away a boatload of cash. However, the decision over his future is unlikely to be left in his hands.
De Zerbi will give him until the end of the campaign to assess him, but the defender may not get a look-in ahead of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso.
Judging by his statistics this season, he certainly wouldn’t deserve it. In the Premier League, he has made just five tackles, blocked eight shots and 13 recoveries – an average return.
Damningly, Spurs have conceded 13 goals while he has been on the pitch, while Dragusin has also won just 48.9 per cent of his total duels. De Zerbi will demand higher standards.
A permanent departure beckons, leaving him to reflect on what could have been.