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Luka Vuskovic holding the cards in Tottenham Hotspur’s summer pursuit of reinforcing key first XI spot
Incoming young defender Luka Vuskovic is expected to get chances to impress in the Tottenham pre-season tour
Tottenham Hotspur are looking to make some critical defensive decisions now that the new head coach has been appointed.
Thomas Frank will be leading the team next season, and given how he built the Brentford side, the focus will be on making Spurs difficult to beat. This means more focus is expected to be given to make the North Londoners’ defence watertight, which is contrast to what it was last term. They leaked 65 goals in the Premier League—the fifth most in the division.
There are several young talents who are returning to the club after impressing on respective loan spells. One of those is Luka Vuskovic.
The teenager is set to arrive at Tottenham this summer, two years on from when the North London club paid £13m to sign him from Hajduk Split. He has spent the past two seasons out on loan and enjoyed a successful spell with Belgian club KVC Westerlo during the 2024/25 campaign.
That loan has proven to be a brilliant one for Luka Vuskovic. He was a regular at the back for KVC Westerlo, clocking 2965 minutes in total across 36 appearances. The towering defender also netted an impressive seven goals and recently made his debut for the senior Croatia side. This gives a glimpse of the player’s talent, and Thomas Frank will be keen to evaluate the young Croat during the pre-season tour.
Now, Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham thinks the Lilywhites may be forced to change their plans to sign a centre-back if Vuskovic impress during the pre-season tour.
“Vuskovic recently made his debut for Croatia,” John Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“To be a full international at the age of 18 is simply incredible. I’m really excited to see what he is all about during pre-season.
“I think he’s got a great opportunity to establish himself in a similar way to Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray. We’re talking about new centre-backs, but Tottenham might not end up signing a new centre-back if Vuskovic takes off in pre-season, as I think he could do.”
Vuskovic has already admitted that he is excited to take the next step at Spurs. The Split-born central defender’s talent and potential is undeniable, but development and adjustment to a new league takes time. He has the entire career ahead of him, and knowing how well Frank handled young talents at his former club Brentford, the Danish tactician will not be throwing Vuskovic in the starting XI even if he does well in pre season.
More Tottenham Hotspur News:
- “Not consistent enough”- Alasdair Gold believes Tottenham should cut ties with ‘inconsistent’ midfielder; he is facing an uncertain future at N17
- Tottenham fighting hard to land €35m AS Monaco star; player wants Barcelona move
- Serie A star hands Tottenham summer transfer blow; Manchester United considered likely destination
That said, there is no way Spurs must reconsider plans of signing a centre-back, particularly with Cristian Romero heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid. Therefore, Levy must definitely sign another defender in addition to nurturing Vuskovic.
