Radu Dragusin has decided whether or not he'll push to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the upcoming transfer window. The 22-year-old defender, who joined the Lilywhites in a £26.7m deal from Genoa in January, has been briefly linked with an exit after falling out of favour under Ange Postecoglou.
He featured just four times for Spurs this season, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven preferred at the back. The duo have recently established themselves as one of the strongest centre-half partnerships in the Premier League, keeping Dragusin out of the starting lineup.
Dragusin has been given chances in cup competitions, but he's still struggled to impress. In fact, just seven minutes into Tottenham's opening match of the new-look Europa League campaign, the Romania international was given a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity after losing control of the ball.
Postecoglou has only given Dragusin a nine-minute cameo off the bench since the incident, casting doubt over his future in north London. However, according to the Mirror, the Romanian will not push to leave Spurs in January.
The report states that several Italian clubs, including Napoli, are 'monitoring his situation closely', but Dragusin 'remains committed' to the Lilywhites. After swapping the Serie A for the Premier League earlier this year, he signed a long-term contract, which keeps him in north Londoners until at least June 2030.
In May, his agent suggested that Postecoglou play Dragusin alongside Romero and Van de Ven in a back three to solve Tottenham's defensive woes. Speaking on Radio CRC, Florin Manea said: "The coach said many times he does not want to play with a three-man defence, evidently he knows best, but Tottenham concede a ton of goals.
"Playing with three gives more security. I also think Tottenham concede a lot of goals from set plays, so Dragusin would be very helpful due to his power in the air, he used to get all the headers at Genoa."
Despite pressure to play Dragusin, Postecoglou has persisted with Romero and Van de Ven. The Spurs boss has also reassured the Romanian numerous times that he remains a key player for the club.
In an interview with Spursplay following the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James' Park last month, Postecoglou heaped praise on Dragusin. He said: "He did well. It’s a unique challenge here, the crowd create a strong atmosphere, and I thought he handled it well.
"They’ve got some threats up front, particularly Isak with his pace, and a couple of times he handled that really well. Overall, it’s a great experience for him, still only 22, and he’s going to play a big part in our season. Getting through that will stand him in good stead."
Then, speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou added: "I thought he was good. It was a great opportunity to expose him. I mean, he's only 22. He's still a young man, especially for a defender and I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat.
"The particular threat that Newcastle posed with Isak up front, he had to be really concentrated, and I thought he was. I think he's going to play a big part in our season. Him coming through that, that whole experience, will set him up well."