It's been a season to forget for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham Hotspur so far this season with Spurs out of the FA Cup, League Cup and in the bottom half of the Premier League.
The Europa League remains the only chance of silverware this season for Postecoglou to win, continuing his trend of winning silverware in his second year at clubs he's managed.
Spurs are among the favourites to win the trophy come the end of the season and take on Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar later this evening. They'll come up against former academy striker Troy Parrott who has made an impressive impact since his move to the Netherlands.
However, in North London, Spurs have struggled with key players missing large parts of the season through injury with a defensive crisis crippling their start to the campaign.
Archie Gray was forced to play in an unorthodox centre-back position, but the youngster has been one of few positives this season. One eye is on the summer transfer market and Spurs will be keen to bolster their squad in order to avoid a repeat of this season's disappointment.
That being said, they may have already conducted a shrewd piece of business ahead of the 2025/26 season. Central defender Luka Vuskovic agreed a deal to sign for Spurs back in September 2023, joining the club from the summer of 2025.
Daniel Levy's side agreed a reported £12million deal for the highly rated Croatian centre-back, joining the club from Hajduk Split, in a deal that will run until 2030. The defender spent last season on loan with Polish side Radomiak Radom before linking up with Belgian outfit K.V.C Westerlo in the summer of 2024.
In 25 appearances for the Belgian Pro League outfit, Vuskovic has scored an impressive seven goals from the heart of defence and attracted plenty of praise this season.
In a recent report carried out by CIES Football Observatory looking into the rising values of talents outside of Europe's top-five leagues over the last six months, Vuskovic is near the top of the list. The 18-year-old is 12th out of the top-100 for how much his value has risen in that time.
Valued at €21.6m (£18m), the youngsters value has increased by a whopping €18.3m (£15.34m) in that time, highlighting his impressive displays. His next step may not have been discussed yet, but the signs are promising for the young defender.
“I had barely played ten games for Hajduk. In the meantime, I have already gained some experience,” he said on his Tottenham transfer, as reported by Voetbalkrant.
“Without being arrogant, I can say that I have shown sufficient qualities. Maybe I still have to work on my speed a bit more, although Mats Hummels shows that you can make a difference even without that speed.
“If I have made my debut at Tottenham, it will be fine. Is there a chance that I will stay at Westerlo? That has not been discussed yet.”