The 24yo has joined Fiorentina on a season-long loan from Tottenham.
Tottenham Hotspur have backed Roberto De Zerbi massively in the transfer market, bringing in as many as six players thus far. The club’s owners have already spent close to £240m in transfer fees, but they aren’t finished yet, with De Zerbi keen to bolster his forward line before the September 1 deadline.
Spurs have also started moving on players that are deemed surplus to requirements by the Italian head coach. We have already amassed around £46m for Luka Vuskovic following his move to Brighton and Hove Albion earlier this week, while Radu Dragusin and Alfie Devine have also left the club.
Radu Dragusin will be spending the 2026/27 season on loan with Fiorentina after the two sides quickly agreed a deal this week. The agreement includes a conditional €17.5m obligation for Fiorentina to sign the central defender permanently at the end of the season. The writing was on the wall for the Romanian international at the club following the arrivals of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, and sensing his opportunities will be limited next term, he pushed to join La Viola.
Reason behind joining Fiorentina explained by Radu Dragusin
Dragusin struggled for regular game time after recovering from an ACL injury last season, making just ten Premier League appearances and playing only 515 minutes for Spurs. In search of regular first-team opportunities, the 24-year-old has returned to Italy.
The defender has now revealed his decision to join Fiorentina. He claims that talks over his move only began this summer after former Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici, with whom he enjoys a good relationship, contacted him and his agent. The Bucharest native admitted that the Fiorentina sporting director’s presence had a ‘huge impact’ on convincing him to become a part of their project.
“This summer’s negotiations started with a call from Paratici, whom I know very well, and vice versa,” Dragusin revealed in a press conference (h/t Tutto Mercato Web).
“The fact that he was here had a huge impact. I chose Fiorentina because they have a growth plan.
“The fact that I’ve come here means that Fiorentina is all that matters. I want to stay here to achieve great things and repay the club’s faith in me.”
Dragusin also thanked Tottenham for helping him develop both on and off the pitch.
“I want to thank Tottenham, which helped me grow as a man and a footballer,” he added.
“There, I saw a different world from the Italian one, and they helped me win the Europa League.”
Good decision made by Dragusin
Dragusin was close to leaving Tottenham for Fiorentina in the January transfer window itself, but an injury crisis in N17 denied him that opportunity. Six months later, he has got his move, which will allow the defender the chance to resurrect his career.
The Romanian endured a forgettable 2025. He suffered an ACL rupture in January 2025 and spent more than 10 months on the sidelines. Dragusin couldn’t break into the first team under three different managers last season, and after De Zerbi decided to recruit Senesi and Van Hecke, it was safe to say that his chapter at Spurs looked over.
So, it is a smart decision taken by Dragusin to trust Paratici and become a part of the Fiorentina project in Serie A.