Tottenham Hotspur tipped to send Radu Dragusin out on loan in January to gauge his fitness levels
Thomas Frank has not been fortunate when it comes to injury problems at Tottenham Hotspur. He lost James Maddison to an ACL injury before the start of the 2025/26 campaign and has been without Dominic Solanke for almost a couple of months.
Radu Dragusin has been out of action for Spurs since the start of February. He suffered an ACL rupture during a Europa League game against Swedish side Elfsborg. The good news is the defender has been training with his teammates since September.
This prompted the Romanian national team to call him up for their games in the October international break. However, Tottenham rejected the Romanian football team’s plea to select Radu Dragusin for the games against Moldova and Austria in a bid to try and help him successfully negotiate the final stages of his recovery from a serious knee injury.
Tottenham could send Radu Dragusin on loan in January
Dragusin has been working hard to recover fully from his ACL injury and get back to action as quickly as possible. It has been nine months since he saw any competitive action on the pitch, so the defender might become impatient staying away. The 23-year-old is now nearing a return for the Lilywhites, but Thomas Frank will certainly want to ensure that he is not rushed back into action under any circumstances.
The standard recovery from an ACL injury takes six to nine months depending on several factors, and Dragusin’s case is no different. And the fact that the Bucharest-born talent has not played any football for all of nine months will mean that the club’s medical department have to manage him carefully.
With that in mind, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King feels Dragusin could be sent out on loan in January in order for the north London outfit to get a good understanding of his fitness levels.
“I think Tottenham will be keen to farm him out somewhere and check on his fitness without him bringing pressure on their team,” Bryan King exclusively told Tottenham News.
“Spurs would be taking a chance on somebody who has been out with a long-term injury, and maybe it would be good for them to see him perform at another club, either in the Premier League or in Europe.
“I think they might try and put him out on loan in January to see how his fitness is, and they could always bring him back if he’s looking good. What he’s got to do now is prove his fitness. He needs more than reserve football to do that.”
Tottenham must keep Dragusin
Tottenham have a lot of games to cover this season, and with Frank keen to compete in every competition, he knows the value of having squad depth. Spurs’ defensive unit was stretched to its limits last season, with first-choice centre-back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven spending several months on the sidelines.
Given Romero and Van de Ven’s injury record, Frank will always need solid cover for his primary defensive pairing. So, having just Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and the inexperienced Kota Takai as cover will not be enough if the Lilywhites intend to do well in the Premier League and win another cup competition. Also, as the Hotspur Way chiefs have reportedly decided to not recall Luka Vuskovic on loan from HSV Hamburger in January, the Spurs gaffer must definitely not allow Dragusin to leave on loan.
Dragusin should be eased back into action after his long injury layoff. If he quickly gets back to match sharpness and shows he is ready for regular minutes, the 23-year-old would be a good squad option to have for Tottenham.