Radu Dragusin moved to Fiorentina on loan after being deemed surplus to requirements at Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed an expensive summer, splashing more than £300m as they backed Roberto De Zerbi following last season’s relegation scare. Among the new arrivals were three centre-backs, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Van Hecke moved from Brighton, and Senesi was snapped up on a free transfer from Bournemouth. On transfer deadline day, Spurs surprised the fans by signing Tosin from bitter rivals Chelsea. However, there were some centre-backs that left N17 in the summer. Among the notable names were Radu Dragusin, Cristian Romero and Kevin Danso.
On-loan defender Radu Dragusin insists his best is yet to come for Fiorentina
Radu Dragusin arrived at Tottenham from Genoa in January 2024 as a highly-rated centre-back, but due to inconsistent performances and a serious ACL injury, did not become a regular starter at the club. The constant chopping and changing of managers did not help the towering Romanian’s cause either.
Deemed surplus to requirements by De Zerbi, the 24-year-old left the club to join Fiorentina on a season-long loan with an option that becomes an obligation under certain conditions. Florin Manea, the defender’s agent, recently revealed that Dragusin wanted to leave Tottenham “permanently”.
The Romanian international has made seven appearances for Fiorentina so far in all competitions, chipping in with two assists. Fiorentina secured a 1-1 draw against Napoli on Sunday, with the central defender playing the full 90 minutes. Asked about his performance against Napoli, Dragusin said (h/t Firenze Viola):
“I think I can still improve.
“I’ll never be satisfied with what I do, otherwise there’s no growth. This is my mentality. I can give even more to the team.”
Dragusin hopes to get his career back on track at Fiorentina
The Bucharest-born talent endured a difficult spell in north London, making just 48 appearances in all competitions. A cruciate ligament injury sustained at the start of 2025 stalled his progress, and although he returned to full fitness during the second half of last season, he was unable to establish himself in a struggling Spurs side.
Now, he is back in Serie A, a league where Dragusin established himself as an exciting prospect. The defender was excellent for Genoa, which prompted the Lilywhites to splash the cash for his services in the 2024 winter transfer window. Unfortunately, the move didn’t turn out as he had planned.
Former Italy defender Marco Lanna believes La Viola is the ideal place for Dragusin to revive his stuttering career, backing him to become successful under Paulo Vanoli.
