Earlier in the month we reported on news that Tottenham Hotspur was close to an agreement to send 19-year-old Croatian central defender on loan to Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Then… nothing for a couple of weeks, which led some to think that maybe Luka was being set up to stay as Spurs’ 5th/6th option in central defense.
Maybe not. The Athletic (£) is now reporting that Spurs and Hamburg have an “agreement in principle” to send Vuscovic to Germany for a year. The loan is a straight (“dry”) loan, meaning there are no purchase options or obligations in the deal, and Vuskovic would return to Tottenham next summer.
As I wrote back in August, this would be a pretty ideal loan location for Vuskovic if the loan is finalized. He bossed it last season in Belgium with Westerlo as an 18-year-old, but as much as we joke about a “farmer’s league,” the Bundesliga is a real league with good teams. Hamburg just promoted back to the top flight so while they’re unlikely to be, y’know, good (they’ve drawn their only match so far this season) Vuskovic is likely to get some good first team minutes against good players. He’ll need that experience if he’s going to transition to a Premier League team that wants to compete in Europe and challenge at the top of the table.
Also, the article mentions that Vuskovic’s older brother Mario also plays for Hamburg, and that’s sure to ease any transition he might have to Germany.
In short, I loved this loan when it was first mooted on August 9 and I still love it. Sending Vuskovic to Germany for solid minutes is better than sticking around and only playing for Spurs in spot minutes, cups, and in case of injury.
I imagine we’ll get confirmation of this loan soon. And knowing my luck, it’ll be 10 minutes after I post this article (since that’s happened a lot this summer).