The Tottenham wonderkid could leave Spurs without making a single appearance.
Spurs could be staring at yet another self-inflicted wound in their struggle to define a clear footballing direction. Serious doubts now emerge over whether Luka Vuskovic will ever pull on a Tottenham shirt in competitive action.
The 18-year-old defender has been outstanding on loan at Hamburg, making 17 Bundesliga appearances and scoring four goals in a season that has accelerated his rise far quicker than many anticipated. What we assumed would be a development year now looks like a full-blown breakout, and that has not gone unnoticed across Europe.
Former Spurs defender Ramon Vega did not mince his words when assessing the situation. He suggested Vuskovic’s Spurs career is already over before it ever began, accusing the club of once again mismanaging a high-end talent. His comments cut straight to a familiar nerve: Tottenham’s repeated inability to convert elite potential into first-team success. According to Vega via X, this is not about money, Spurs will sell well, but it is about a total lack of football direction.
Mismanagement from Tottenham?
Ivan Rakitic recently urged [h/t The Express] Bayern Munich to move aggressively for Vuskovic, describing him as one of the most talked-about young centre-backs in Europe. Rakitic went as far as suggesting Tottenham may struggle to keep hold of him beyond the summer, arguing the teenager already looks ready for a genuine elite-level step.
This is where the situation becomes deeply uncomfortable for Spurs. Vuskovic joined Spurs from Hajduk Split for €11m back in 2023, a significant outlay for a teenager, even if Brexit rules delayed his official arrival. Since then, he has been shuttled through loans at Radomiak, Westerlo, and now Hamburg. Each step has gone well. Each time, his stock has risen. And yet, there is still no clear sense of where he fits at Tottenham.
On paper, Spurs look stocked at centre-back. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin, and Kevin Danso form the current core, while Ashley Phillips and Kota Takai are developing on loan. But depth is not the same as clarity, and the looming possibility of Romero leaving only sharpens the concern.
This feels like a sliding-doors moment. Either Tottenham decisively commit to Vuskovic as part of their future, or they risk watching another elite prospect walk away while thriving elsewhere. If Vuskovic leaves without ever featuring for the first team, it will be another damning indictment of a club that keeps talking about long-term planning while repeatedly losing control in multiple ways.