Football London

It's time to take a look at the latest news surrounding Tottenham's large group of loan players who have been in action around the world

Tottenham Hotspur might not have been in action this week but their big army of loan players have been busy across the globe.

The north London side currently have 18 players out on loan and developing across the Football League as well as across Scotland, Germany, Italy and South America with Spurs' Head of Loans and Pathways Andy Scoulding keeping a close eye on all of them and checking in on their various performances.

With Roberto De Zerbi now in charge at Tottenham, many of the players out on loan will be looking to push themselves into the mix to get an opportunity under the new Italian head coach while others are simply looking to develop or put themselves in the shop or loan window for the summer.

Here's how every single one of Tottenham's big loan army got on across the world this week.

Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central)

Alejo Veliz rediscovered his goalscoring touch with a double for Rosario Central to ensure they beat Atletico Tucuman on Sunday in the league.

The 22-year-old had been struggling for goals in Argentina, unable to hit the net in his past nine league matches but he roared back with his two strikes this weekend.

Veliz had won an early penalty with a good bit of anticipation, only to see his spot kick saved by the sprawling goalkeeper. However, he made up for that missed opportunity 31 minutes in with a powerful towering header to put the hosts into the lead.

The visitors grabbed an equaliser seven minutes later but Veliz was not to be outdone and in the 75th minute, the big striker got in front of his man to beat the offside trap and divert a cross home with his right foot.

Veliz is expected to head to Bahia at the end of the season after Tottenham agreed a deal with the Brazilian side to sell Veliz once his current loan at Rosario ends. A £7.8m (9m euros) deal was agreed with £871k in add-ons (1m euros) plus a 20% sell-on clause.

Mikey Moore (Rangers)

Mikey Moore got another 90 minutes under his belt as second-placed Rangers continue to keep things tight at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers won 4-2 at Ibrox against Dundee United on Saturday and got a 7.8 from Glasgow World's player ratings with the review: "The Tottenham loanee aimed to keep up impressive form out wide and did so with high marks."

The 18-year-old also opened up on exactly what happened during those months out with a virus at Tottenham last season.

"I was playing really well and started to find my feet in the first team just before the Galatasaray game. I trained two days before it and I was set to start or make an appearance in that game. I went for a driving lesson at the time that night and all of a sudden I felt a bit of pain in my chest," he said in a short Spurs documentary on his loan at Rangers.

"The doctor called me in and said to forget about football for now. It came back that I had myocarditis, which is a virus that went to the heart and gave me the pains in my heart. I was lucky that I caught it early because I am not sure what could have happened after that and whether it could have caused extra things. But from what I know, it is not something that can really reoccur. I think I was in bed for six weeks and wasn't allowed to do any exercise.

"There were a lot of rumours at that time and it was tough to deal with. Those six weeks were not six weeks of improving in a gym like you would normally do if you were injured. Right now, I feel at my best and feel like how I felt when I first started playing at Tottenham. That is all done now and put behind me. That's it really."

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Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Luka Vuskovic was highly rated as Hamburg drew 1-1 at home with Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The 19-year-old centre-back got Whoscored's top mark for the hosts of 7.25 in their stat-based player ratings with a 90-minute defensive display that included nine clearances, two tackles, two interceptions and one block. He also hit the woodwork with an effort at the other end of the pitch.

The Croatian has made 27 appearances and played 2,460 minutes so far for the Bundesliga outfit and has attracted links from big clubs aplenty, including Bayern Munich. However, with a contract until 2030 at Tottenham he is likely to become a regular starter for Spurs next season if they remain in the Premier League.

Will Lankshear & Jamie Donley (Oxford United)

Will Lankshear was almost the hero of the day for Oxford with brilliant diving header in the 81st minute to put them 2-1 up against Portsmouth in a huge relegation six-pointer on Monday in the Championship.

However, Andre Dozzell, son of former Spurs midfielder Jason Dozzell, levelled for 10-man Pompey with three minutes to go of normal time. Another former Tottenham man, Conor Ogilvie had been sent off in the first half.

Jamie Donley played his first 90 minutes of the season in the Championship, just two days after getting 77 minutes in Oxford's 1-1 draw at home against promotion-chasing Hull City on Friday. He picked out Lankshear in the second half of that game for the striker to be felled in the Hull box with Cameron Brannagan able to equalise from the spot.

Alfie Devine (Preston North End)

Alfie Devine had a creative Easter as he provided assists in both of his matches. First Preston drew 2-2 at struggling Leicester on Good Friday with the Spurs man setting up Ben Whiteman for the visitors' second goal.

Then on Monday, the 21-year-old midfielder looked to have helped North End to victory against QPR after picking out Brad Potts to score early in the second half half but a Thierry Small own goal with eight minutes to go gave the away side a share of the spoils.

Devine has had a great season, making 40 league appearances, with eight goals and four assists from midfield with another two appearances in the Carabao Cup, plus an assist, and a substitute appearance in the FA Cup to make it 2,865 minutes in total so far this season.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips had a mixed weekend with a 2-0 victory with Stoke against Sheffield Wednesday at home on Friday before going down by the same scoreline at Derby on Monday afternoon.

The 20-year-old centre-back got a seven in Stoke-on-Trent Live's player ratings on Friday with the write-up: "Had to keep an eye on isolated Yates for most of the game before a spell of pressure through the closing stages."

Then on Monday he got one of the better marks of six with the review: "Willing to make a tackle and defend his line. A hard day. "

Phillips has made 40 appearances this season for Stoke with 3,344 minutes to his name.

Dane Scarlett (Hibernian)

Dane Scarlett is yet to notch his first goal for Hibernian but he is getting minutes for the Scottish Premiership side. The 21-year-old striker played 64 minutes of the 3-0 win at home against Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Scarlett has made nine appearances now up north of the border with one assist and 418 minutes to his name.

Kota Takai (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Kota Takai's injury woes have not subsided since joining Borussia Monchengladbach. The 21-year-old Japan international has made just six appearances after months out when he first joined Spurs and now he has a muscle strain which has kept him out of the past month or so of action at the Bundesliga club and he missed Saturday's draw with Heidenheim.

The centre-back's loan club had been keen to extend his stay in Germany, according to the local media last month, but whether his injury issues change that remains to be seen.

Manor Solomon (Fiorentina)

Manor Solomon has also been out injured and has missed the past month with a grade 1-2 hip flexor strain in his right thigh so has been unable to play a part in Fiorentina's climb up the table.

The Israel international had become a regular starter with two goals in his 11 matches for the Italian side as a regular fixture on either wing. However, the 26-year-old winger suffered the injury in the Conference League win against Jagiellonia and is yet to return to action.

Yang Min-hyeok (Coventry)

Yang Min-hyeok has not been in a Coventry matchday squad for more than a month, having to watch on for eight Championship matches.

The 19-year-old winger had made 16 appearances for Portsmouth, scoring three goals and laying on one assist, before switching to Frank Lampard's table-toppers. However, it hasn't worked out all for the South Korean with only one start for Coventry so far in his first experience of FA Cup football last month and three Championship appearances totalling 29 minutes of football.

Speaking to Coventry Live last month, Lampard said of Yang: "We’re competing to try and do well this season. I have to make decisions with what I see. And that’s not to disrespect Mini. If I feel like it’s Mini’s time to come in, he’ll come in, absolutely. That goes with all the players.

"I don’t have a preference of loan or players that are ours, as such, because at the minute we want to win. I can’t add those kind of emotions into it. I have to try to pick the best 11 and the best bench, and at the moment we don’t have any injuries."

Oliver Irow & George Abbott (Mansfield)

Mansfield's unbeaten streak in League One is now eight matches and both George Abbott and Oliver Irow have played their part in that run.

Abbott grabbed his first assist for the club as he got 81 minutes to his name in a 2-0 win at Doncaster on Friday before the 20-year-old midfielder made it three consecutive starts with 90 minutes in a 0-0 home draw with Burton Albion.

Irow came off the bench for the final minute of the game at Doncaster on Friday and then the 19-year-old attacker played an hour of the goalless draw at home against Burton on Monday.

Yusuf Akhamrich (Bristol Rovers)

Yusuf Akhamrich got two Easter games under his belt for Bristol Rovers as they enjoyed double delight in League Two.

First the 20-year-old winger came off the bench for 36 minutes of the 1-0 home win against Fleetwood on Friday and then started and played 72 minutes as Rovers saw off Harrogate Town 3-2 on the road on Monday.

The Bristol Post's Will Murray handed Akhamrich a seven in his player ratings from Friday with the review: "Yusuf Akhamrich dragged Rovers up the pitch on a couple of occasions and looked sharp during his 36-minute cameo. He saw a powerful left-footed shot saved by Jay Lynch in the 82nd minute and will have his eye on a start at Harrogate."

Tyrese Hall (Notts County)

Tyrese Hall had to put aside his disappointment after coming off the bench in Jamaica's World Cup qualifying defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday night.

He came off the bench for Notts County for the final 20 minutes of Friday's League Two 2-1 defeat at Salford before watching on from the bench as his side won 3-1 at home against lowly Newport Country on Monday.

The 20-year-old midfielder has scored eight goals and provided two assists across 1,778 minutes in 35 appearances since heading out of Tottenham on his first loan.

Alfie Dorrington (Salford City)

Alfie Dorrington was on the bench for Salford as they beat Hall's Notts County and then had to do the same on Monday as Salford lost 1-0 at Crewe.

The 20-year-old centre-back has had to make do with a bench role in the past four matches but has managed nine appearances so far for City after switching from Aberdeen during the winter window.

Damola Ajayi (Bromley)

Damola Ajayi got his second start in a Bromley shirt as the League Two leaders drew 2-2 at Barnet on Friday.

The 20-year-old winger has registered 27 appearances across his spells at Bromley and Doncaster Rovers in a season of development across League One and Two.

Aaron Maguire (Hampton & Richmond Borough)

Aaron Maguire played every minute of his first three matches for National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough but the 21-year-old goalkeeper has not been in their matchday squads since February.

The Tottenham Hotspur teenager missed a large chunk of last season and has now opened up on exactly what he was dealing with

Mikey Moore has opened up on the virus that sparked a heart scare last season and the frustrating absence for him and the supporters at Tottenham.

The 18-year-old is currently dazzling on loan at Rangers with the fans of the Scottish side desperate for the Glasgow giants to sign him permanently. Spurs are not keen though on losing their talented academy product and new boss Roberto De Zerbi will take a good look at the attacker this summer when he returns from a huge developmental campaign north of the border.

However, last season, just as Moore was finally starting to break through at Tottenham under then boss Ange Postecoglou, he suffered a virus that kept him out from early November until he finally played again in mid-January last year. Due to his age, details of his ailment were kept from the public domain.

Amid the fan speculation Postecoglou had told football.london back then: "Look, I come out here and I want to be as transparent as I can, but this is a 17-year-old boy. I don’t like talking about what they have and what they don’t have. It’s nothing serious, but you know, he’s 17. We’re going to take our time, and I don’t like this kind of constant, not from you by the way, but I’ve just heard other bits and pieces of people speculating, Come on. I mean, like, if it’s your 17-year-old son, you don’t want everyone to know what he has or hasn’t got.

"It’s nothing serious. It’s nothing long-term. It’s just that he’s a young lad and he’s only 17. He’s a big part of this football club, and we will protect him, and we’ll be guided by how he feels, how he recovers from an illness. Young people will recover at different rates. He’ll be back. He’s still here. He’s part of what we’re doing and he’ll be back in the next few weeks, but again he’s missed a lot of football. We’ve got to bear in mind that he’s 17."

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Now Moore has opened up on exactly what happened during those months out at Tottenham last season.

"I was playing really well and started to find my feet in the first team just before the Galatasaray game. I trained two days before it and I was set to start or make an appearance in that game. I went for a driving lesson at the time that night and all of a sudden I felt a bit of pain in my chest," he said in a short Spurs documentary on his loan at Rangers.

"The doctor called me in and said to forget about football for now. It came back that I had myocarditis, which is a virus that went to the heart and gave me the pains in my heart. I was lucky that I caught it early because I am not sure what could have happened after that and whether it could have caused extra things.

"But from what I know, it is not something that can really reoccur. I think I was in bed for six weeks and wasn't allowed to do any exercise.

"There were a lot of rumours at that time and it was tough to deal with. Those six weeks were not six weeks of improving in a gym like you would normally do if you were injured. Right now, I feel at my best and feel like how I felt when I first started playing at Tottenham. That is all done now and put behind me. That's it really."

Radu Dragusin came back from a long-term injury in December but his agent has claimed that the Tottenham Hotspur defender was subject of a lucrative offer

Radu Dragusin's agent has revealed that they turned down a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia to remain at Tottenham Hotspur.

Florin Manea has said that the Romanian defender was the topic of interest from the Middle East during the January transfer window but there was no interest in leaving North London. The 24-year-old had been forced to overcome a long-term knee injury and only returned to the fold in December, he has made eight Premier League appearances this season but continued his comeback after adding two caps to his international tally during the international break.

Dragusin has made 46 appearances for Spurs in three seasons after joining from Serie A side Genoa in the 2024 January transfer window. He was linked with a return to Italy in January and his agent has claimed that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig were also interested, as well as teams from the Saudi Pro League, but an exit wasn't considered.

He said: "You want me to tell you something? We refused €50million (£43.6million) over five years for Radu. €10m (£8.7m) per year.

"Someone from Saudi Arabia called us and said they would give us €10m (£8.7m) net per year to go there. We did not even consider it.

"€10m (£8.7m) per year? Tell me how many would refuse that. It could have gone up to €15m (£13.1m), even €20m (£17.4m) per year. It could have reached €100m (£87.2m) over five years. I would have taken a commission of €20m-€30m (£17.4m-£26.2m). But we were not interested.”

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Manea added: "There was an offer for him in the winter from Leipzig. Now we will see if they want to try again or not."

Dragusin has a new opportunity to impress the Spurs head coach after Roberto De Zerbi replaced Igor Tudor.

It is the latest managerial change after Thomas Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou before the Croatian's spell in the Premier League was brief.

De Zerbi has been tasked with keeping Spurs in England's top-flight as they face the threat of relegation to the Champions League.

A 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on the eve of the international break left Spurs edging even closer to the bottom three with West Ham United just one point adrift in 18th.

In his first interview, De Zerbi said: "I signed five years of contract because for me, it is a big challenge and I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what.

"I know very well it is a tough moment. It is a difficult moment for everyone of Tottenham, (but) I think we have the right qualities to come out from this moment.

"I believe in the players. I think we have to remember who we are, and who the players are because we have very big players. We have to work in their confidence and in their qualities. They have to show what they are and what (level) they are used to playing."

It could be a big summer of change at Tottenham Hotspur

Roberto De Zerbi knows he has a huge summer at Tottenham no matter what happens between now and the end of the season.

Spurs are just one point above the relegation places with seven games to go and going down to the Championship would be catastrophic for the club. De Zerbi was named the new permanent head coach last week and his immediate concern will be keeping the Lilywhites in the English top flight.

It's clear, though, that a squad revamp is needed come the summer with the current crop of players not good enough for the Premier League. One area that needs improvement is the forward department.

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Randal Kolo Muani is expected to return to PSG come the conclusion of his loan, Richarlison could be sold after a couple of frustrating campaigns and Dominic Solanke has had a number of injury issues. That all points to Tottenham being in the market for a new striker, with the club arguably still trying to replace Harry Kane since the Englishman joined Bayern Munich in 2023.

According to Sports Boom, Al-Hilal striker Marcos Leonardo is being targeted by the north Londoners. The Brazilian has been in fine form for the Saudi side this season, scoring 15 goals in 29 appearances.

The 22-year-old was previously at Benfica and Santos and could be available for £55million this summer.

Of course, a lot may depend on whether Tottenham remain in the Premier League or not, with De Zerbi intent on making sure that is the case. In his first interview since being appointed, De Zerbi said of becoming Spurs boss: "I'm very happy and very proud to be here. I consider Tottenham one of the most important clubs in the world, so I'm very happy.

"I have a big responsibility, but it's a big challenge for me, and I'm looking forward to start and to work with the players and to win some games. I watched a lot of games, especially in the last period. I know very well the players. I love football, so I watch many, many games per week. I know everything.

"I know it's a tough moment for Tottenham, but I know very well it's a tough moment. It's a difficult moment for everyone at Tottenham. I think we have the right qualities to come out of this moment. I believe in the players.

"I think we have to remember who we are and who the players are, because we have very big players and we have to work on their confidence and qualities. They have to show what they are and what they are good at playing."

Cristian Romero has been linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur on numerous occasions this season, but the defender still has three years left on his contract in north London.

Roberto De Zerbi will be glad to know that Cristian Romero doesn't have a release clause in his contract with Tottenham Hotspur. The 27-year-old defender faces a somewhat uncertain future in north London, with the Lilywhites in grave danger of being relegated from the Premier League.

Only a point, and a hefty goal difference, separates Spurs from West Ham in the bottom three following a humiliating defeat to Nottingham Forest just before the international break. De Zerbi has been tasked with leading Tottenham to safety, and unless they beat Sunderland next weekend, they could fall into the drop zone.

Last month, Diego Simeone revealed that he's a 'big fan' of Romero. Then, earlier this week, a journalist in Argentina reportedly claimed that the World Cup winner wants to leave Tottenham and return to his boyhood club, Club Atlético Belgrano.

During an appearance on Argentine radio station Cadena 3, Romero's father commented on the reports. As quoted by Sport Witness, Victor said: "It’s a bombshell that keeps getting bigger.

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"I hope it’s true; as a Belgrano fan and a father, what more could I want, but I don’t know anything. Cuti isn’t one to make statements, that’s why it surprises me."

He continued: "I don’t know anything, but in football, anything can happen. Today, you might be thinking about being close to your family, and tomorrow, they put together a team to win the championship, and everything changes. I don’t want to lie."

In August 2021, Tottenham signed Romero from Atalanta on an initial loan, which included a £42.5million option-to-buy, football.london understands. Spurs activated the clause a year later, with the Argentine penning a five-year deal.

Then, in August 2025, Romero signed a new four-year contract, keeping him at the club until at least June 2029. Still speaking to Cadena 3, the defender's father claimed: "He has two more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause.

"The English club isn’t going to let him go for free; it’s between $50m to $70m (£37.9m to £53m). For me, they’ll want to recover what they invested."

Despite Victor's claims, football.london understands that Romero does not have a release clause in his Tottenham contract that allows him to join La Liga's big clubs. Any side looking to sign the Argentine this summer would be required to offer whatever price tag Spurs place on their captain at the time.

Romero has also given no indication that he plans to leave the Lilywhites, which will certainly reassure De Zerbi ahead of a difficult end to the campaign. During the March international break, he told Ole: "I’m not really having the best time there, to be honest.

"But beyond everything, I have to get myself right, I have to focus on the club now. I need to switch on the Tottenham mindset, try to get out of the bad situation we’re in and, like I always do, give everything in every training session, in every match, and try to move forward..."

The Tottenham Hotspur youngster has impressed on loan in Germany this season and has revealed the extra work he has been doing on the side

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Luka Vuskovic has been speaking about his efforts to improve himself while on loan at Hamburg. The youngster has also been discussing the extra measures he has taken to develop his own game in comments new Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi will love to hear.

Spurs officially signed the 19-year-old from Hudjuk Split in 2025 before loaning the Croatian defender to Bundesliga side Hamburger SV for the current campaign.

There is considerable speculation about whether or not Vuskovic will move on from Spurs permanently in the summer with his parent side in relegation trouble.

That being said, the highly-rated defender has made it clear he'll be part of Spurs' first team set-up next season.

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"After this season, I’ll be a Tottenham player again. I have a contract there until 2030," he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

His return to Spurs will give De Zerbi an opportunity to watch the youngster close up, with fans not able to see much of the defender having agreed to sign him way back in 2023.

Vuskovic had to wait until last summer before he could move to England, and was immediately sent out on loan.

When asked what sort of player he is, he said: "It all depends on how the player plays. It can be really tough; it can feel like the defender is trying to destroy a striker, he can inflict some really hard fouls.

"But it can also be completely different, without a foul, even without physical contact. If you defend intelligently, you hardly ever have to go directly into a challenge; you focus more on the space where things can get dangerous.

"I’m somewhere in between because I’m not as aggressive as some others, although I’d like to be a bit more so. I’m working on that."

Expanding on how he has been developing himself away from his club, Vuskovic made an admission that will be music to the ears of Spurs and De Zerbi.

“I know my weaknesses," he said. "I’ve been training with a private coach for some time now to work on my speed."

Vuskovic has impressed during his time in the Bundesliga, and has been one of the standout performers for the club during his loan spell.

His agent Pini Zahavi has already made it clear that a decision on his future won't happen until the summer, but it looks pretty certain Tottenham will cast an eye over him before sanctioning any further loan moves.

That hasn't stopped Vuskovic making clear he'd like to play alongside his brother Mario, also at Hamburg, in the future. The 19-year-old said: "In football, you never know. It could happen next year, or in 10 years.

"I don’t want to promise anyone anything. But it’s my biggest dream to be on the pitch with him here in Hamburg, or later in Split."

Tottenham's relegation rivals Nottingham Forest were forced to explain why four key players missed open training on Saturday

Nottingham Forest have confirmed why all of Matz Sels, Elliot Anderson, Ola Aina and Omari Hutchinson missed open training amid injury concerns. The Forest squad were holding their latest session at the City Ground in front of supporters, but a key quartet were not in attendance.

Ahead of training, a club statement read: "Matz Sels and Elliot Anderson are resting following their recent international commitments, while Ola Aina and Omari Hutchinson are continuing with individual training programmes and will not be present with the group today."

All four of those players were in the starting XI that beat Tottenham before the international break and will more than likely feature over the coming week.

In the meantime, however, their respective loads are being managed with Forest playing four games in 10 days, starting with a Europa League quarter-final first leg away to Porto next Thursday.

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Three consecutive home games follow that, with the second leg in between fixtures against Aston Villa and Burnley. Relegation rivals West Ham United also have a busier schedule than Tottenham as they prepare for an FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds United on Sunday before returning to Premier League action against Wolves.

Tottenham's only focus is on the trip to Sunderland next weekend, with new head coach Roberto De Zerbi taking his first training session on Friday.

Some key players were not spotted out on the grass as several continue to recover from injury with Pape Sarr the latest to suffer a problem. Mathys Tel was present at Hotspur Way however, despite limping off against Forest with an issue that saw him miss France under-21 duty.

It was a very high-intensity session led by De Zerbi and players went home with rave reviews of the 46-year-old's first day of training, as football.london understands. Snippets of what he was instructing were also picked up by cameras, with it clear the ideas he is trying to implement.

During a rondo, he said: "One or two touch. With two touch it is impossible to lose the ball because we are five to pass against two. Enjoy, enjoy but you have to move. Enjoy with the ball.

"A lot of teams now they come man to man. Man to man you need to pass the ball. It's important, one touch, two touch."

De Zerbi will be hoping his tactics have an immediate impact with his first seven games in charge likely to define his tenure despite signing a five-year contract.

Alongside the trip to Sunderland, the Lilywhites also face Wolves, Aston Villa and Chelsea away from home. They welcome De Zerbi's former club Brighton, Leeds United and Everton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the coming weeks.

Luka Vuskovic has established himself as one of the most promising young players in Europe, let alone at Tottenham Hotspur, while out on loan at Hamburg.

Luka Vuskovic has suggested that he'll stay at Tottenham Hotspur next season. The 19-year-old defender, who's currently on loan at Hamburg, has been recently linked with a move to Bayern Munich following his impressive performances in the Bundesliga.

Vuskovic has featured 24 times in the German top flight this season, scoring five goals from centre-back. The Croatia international has helped the newly-promoted outfit distance themselves from a relegation scrap, with only goal difference currently denying them a place in the top half of the table.

Since joining Hamburg, Vuskovic has established himself as one of the most promising young players in Europe, earning great praise from the likes of Lothar Matthaus, Vincent Kompany, and Luka Modric. The teenager has reportedly attracted interest from some top clubs, so Roberto De Zerbi will have to fight to keep him in the summer.

Fortunately for the new Spurs boss, his contract in north London doesn't expire until June 2030. In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Vuskovic provided an update on his future.

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The Croatia international has claimed it would be a 'dream' to play with his brother, Mario, at either Hamburg or their boyhood club, Hajduk Split. Mario was issued a four-year ban from football in November 2022 for a doping offence.

The Tottenham wonderkid said: "In football, you never know. It could happen next year, or in ten years. I don't want to promise anyone anything.

"But it's my biggest dream to be on the pitch with him here in Hamburg, or later in Split. After this season, I'll be a Tottenham player again. I have a contract there until 2030."

Mario was playing for Hamburg in the second division of German football at the time of the suspension. The Spurs loanee continued: "I was in Split, Croatia. It was a shock for all of us in the family; we couldn't believe it, and we still can't.

"We tried to get to the bottom of it. I can't say too much about it; I'd probably use harsh words, and I don't want to."

On why he decided to join Hamburg on loan, Vuskovic said: "The people here at the club have always stood behind my brother; they did everything they could. Everyone here—the fans, the coaches, the players—showed him so much love and respect.

"That's why I'm here. I wanted to give something back to this club and help them. Coming here was the easiest decision I've ever made. What happened to Mario has nothing to do with HSV."

Vuskovic wears his brother's shirt number, 44. He said: "I wanted his name to stay, even though he can't be here right now. But he'll be back on the pitch soon."

The Croatia international added: "Mario will come back stronger than he left. For three and a half years, he's been training every day for about four or five hours. I don't know anyone with his kind of willpower.

"Mario trains every day as if he has a game against Real Madrid the next day. I think what unfortunately happened to him will help him in a way.

"Physically, he'll be more than ready when his suspension is over. And he's had the opportunity to work on his mental strength. I think not much will be able to stop him when he's back on the pitch."

Roberto De Zerbi will need to make an instant impact at Tottenham to save the club from relegation

Roberto De Zerbi was credited with making an immediate impact at Brighton in a boost to hopes he can steer Tottenham Hotspur clear of the drop.

The Italian signed a five-year deal at the north London club earlier this week to replace Igor Tudor, with Spurs at the centre of a relegation dog-fight with just seven Premier League games to go this season.

With Spurs sitting 17th in the table and just one point and one place ahead of West Ham, De Zerbi has been instructed to introduce a new lease of life within the struggling squad - and time is not on his side.

But if Danny Welbeck's words are anything to go by, De Zerbi is capable of quickly implementing fresh energy and perspective, having done just that during his time at Brighton. The Seagulls striker previously opened up about the beginning of the Italian's reign at the club and revealed he was instantly impressive.

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The ex-Manchester United and Arsenal forward told ESPN: "Straight away from day one he's been impressive with his charisma and his passion for the game. "He's got an eye for fine detail, with every single pass and movement.

"He's really improved a lot of players - he gives everybody the opportunity to get on the pitch and show what they can do. He's had a huge impact. It's not easy as we had a good manager before (Graham Potter).

"But Roberto's been unbelievable with the lads, with the dressing room and everybody around the club -- his charisma and passion -- you only get to see 20 percent of what we see. We see it in everything he does: it's a joy to be working for this manager right now."

Without a league win since defeating Crystal Palace 1-0 in December, De Zerbi's first opportunity to put Spurs on a path away from potential relegation is against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light next Sunday.

The 46-year-old revealed his short-term and long-term ambitions at Tottenham upon the news of his arrival. He said: "I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world.

"In all my discussions with the club's leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters.

"I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it. Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I’m looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that."

Here are the five things we spotted during the new Tottenham head coach's first training session at Hotspur Way on Friday

Roberto De Zerbi got to work on the Hotspur Way training pitches after meeting his Tottenham players for the first time on Friday.

The Italian agreed a five-year deal with Spurs this week and is looking to save them from relegation from the Premier League before building a better version of the team from next season onwards. With his work permit secured, De Zerbi was able to begin getting his philosophy across to his players at the Enfield training complex on Friday.

The new head coach has nine days to get his ideas into the team ahead of their return to Premier League action on April 12 at Sunderland before De Zerbi's old team Brighton come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 18.

football.london understands that the Spurs players went home with rave reviews of the 46-year-old's first day of training, one at the session telling close friends that it was "outstanding" and numerous others bringing glowing reports back about the level of the work.

Here are five things we noticed from the club's extended video of the outdoor work between De Zerbi and his Tottenham players.

What they did

After putting in some gym work, De Zerbi took a mixture of first teamers and a sprinkling of academy players out on the grass at Hotspur Way.

While none of his new coaching staff were on show in the video, the Italian was in the middle of everything as a noisy presence, giving feedback and coaching instructions throughout the session which comprised of a physical warm-up, passing rondos, an end-to-end possession drill and finally a competitive six-a-side match with three teams.

Who he paid attention to

Obviously we only saw a snapshot of the session but while coming out on to the pitches in Enfield, De Zerbi made a point of heading over to Lucas Bergvall, putting an arm around the young Swede and having a prolonged chat with him at different parts of the pitch.

The new Spurs boss also had a chat with Mathys Tel in one moment during a rondo, which seemed to be about where to look and move his head before passing or turning.

To complete the trio of 20-year-olds, the name 'Archie' was rarely far from De Zerbi's lips as he spoke on the pitch and constantly namechecked Archie Gray.

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What De Zerbi said

You could hear snippets of what De Zerbi was telling his players and it all pointed towards what his version of Tottenham Hotspur will eventually be.

During one rondo he said: "One or two touch. With two touch it is impossible to lose the ball because we are five to pass against two. Enjoy, enjoy but you have to move. Enjoy with the ball.

"A lot of teams now they come man to man. Man to man you need to pass the ball. It's important, one touch, two touch."

What he said later will terrify some Spurs fans who don't like their team playing out from the back under pressure but it will unlock a Tottenham team that has looked scared to play football this season, under a new head coach whose whole philosophy is about baiting the press.

"Keep the ball, keep the ball. Attract the pressure. Attract the pressure," said the Italian. "The speed of the ball possession, the opponent decides our speed. When they are coming in front, we need to be faster in moving the ball, giving angles, giving solutions."

Assist for Richarlison

De Zerbi used to be a number 10 as a player back in Serie A and he showed a lovely touch when restarting one of the six-a-side matches with a pinpoint dragged backheel into the part of Richarlison who buried his shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

With complaints from the other team, the head coach said loudly: "Hey I'm the same with anybody!"

With his next restart he made sure there was no favouritism by booting the ball high up into the air. Richarlison ran in to challenge for it but it was Joao Palhinha who won the ball and headed it to Tel and the young Frenchman arrowed a shot into the net to win the game for his side.

Missing players

We can only go on what we were shown in the training video and photos from Friday's session but out on the pitches there appeared to be no sign of captain Cristian Romero, who was one of the last back from international duty so may have been recovering after his journey back across the world.

Pape Matar Sarr missed Senegal's second game with a shoulder problem and could not be spotted and neither could Pedro Porro after his international duty with Spain.

There were no returning players from injury on show in the footage of training as of yet, including Guglielmo Vicario as he recovers from his hernia surgery.

De Zerbi will be hoping he gets some of those in the treatment room back into full training before the trip to Sunderland next weekend.