Joining Spurs was a wrong choice – Dragusin told
How many times have we seen a new player arrive in the Premier League from abroad and take some time to adapt, playing a back seat role until he is up to speed?
Jurgen Klopp, much to the frustration of the less patient members of the Liverpool fanbase, kept Fabinho on the bench during the Brazilian’s first few months at Anfield. Didier Drogba, Luis Suarez and Thierry Henry – three of the most iconic forwards in Premier League history – only really hit their straps after rocky beginnings too.
So you won’t find many Tottenham Hotspur supporters wringing their hands after Radu Dragusin started only four top-flight games following his £26 million January arrival from Genoa.
Slow start for Radu Dragusin at Tottenham Hotspur
Winter additions, in particular, are rarely thrown straight in at the deep end, the challenge of adapting to a new culture, a new league and a new language made even more difficult without a full pre-season under their belts.
Dragusin was relatively seldom-seen under Ange Postecoglou. But there are no suggestions in North London that anyone is writing off the former Juventus and Genoa ace just yet.
But while those of a Spurs persuasion are losing no sleep about Dragusin’s situation – behind Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in the pecking order for the time being – there is not quite the same sense of calm back home in Romania.
If Angel Iordanescu’s side are to get out of a rather open Euro 2024 group containing Belgium, Ukraine and Slovakia, the Tricolorii really need all their star men heading to Germany match fit and full of confidence.
Goalkeeper Horatiu Moldovan did not play even a minute after joining Atletico Madrid just after Christmas, however, Ianis Hagi struggled on loan from Rangers at Alaves, and there are also concerns that Dragusin will begin the European Championships somewhat undercooked.
Bayern Munich and Napoli wanted Spurs ace too
Ionel Ganea, the former Romania hero, feels that Dragusin would have been better off joining Bayern Munich rather than Tottenham in January, Eric Dier ending up in Bavaria instead and featuring far more regularly than his Spurs replacement did in the English capital.
“My opinion is that he chose the wrong team,” Ganea, who’s late penalty against England at Euro 2000 sent Romania into the knock-out stages at the expense of the Three Lions, tells Sport.
“Bayern Munich was much more suitable for him.”
The Champions League semi-finalists – who finalised the appointment of one-time Spurs target Vincent Kompany last week – were not the only club who attempted to bring in Dragusin before Tottenham got their man.
Dragusin’s agent – the perennially outspoken Florin Manea – admitted that Newcastle United showed an interest. The Magpies‘ Financial Fair Play concerns soon brought an end to their hopes of a big-money January deal, however.
“See Dragusin, to whom I offered more money than Tottenham,” Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis revealed a few months back. “He preferred England even over Bayern.
“And you can’t fight (that desire).”