Tottenham Hotspur supporters were offered a glimpse of silver-laden success in the future after making a resounding start to the 2023/24 campaign under Ange Postecoglou's leadership.
With the football flowing and the strikers striking on Sunday afternoon, dispatching a weather-beaten Newcastle United side that are feeling the wrath of increased competition that comes with European qualification, Spurs emerged 4-1 victors to rekindle their fight for a return to the Champions League.
But this result came off the back of a dismal run of form that saw an unbeaten Premier League start ended by a five-match winless run, changing the mood down at N17 rather quickly.
There's no disputing that injuries and suspensions have been central to the recent struggles, but this only heightens the need for January reinforcements, with Postecoglou understood to have identified his dream defensive addition.
Tottenham transfer news – Radu Dragusin
According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Spurs have earmarked Genoa defender Radu Dragusin and Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite as the top targets to strengthen the backline ahead of the January transfer window.
While signing Branthwaite is more than just an attractive proposition, Everton are battling against relegation in the Premier League after a ten-point deduction and with the 21-year-old among the best performers, the club have slapped a £75m price tag on his signature.
Dragusin has been touted at €30m (£26m) by his Serie A outfit, who are not prepared to enter negotiations if such a figure is not met; far cheaper than Branthwaite, this is by far the more plausible route for the Lilywhites whose scouts have been left impressed after watching him in action.
Postecoglou recently stated – via football.london – that his preference is to sign players that can be moulded and nurtured over the coming years, meaning the Romanian titan, aged 21, looks the perfect option.
Radu Dragusin's style of play
Dragusin is well regarded for his tough-tackling presence and imposing physicality, capable of asserting himself in the rearguard and providing a rock-solid base from which Guglielmo Vicario's goal would benefit greatly.
Having amassed 58 appearances for Genoa, scoring five goals, after signing from Juventus in 2022 on an initial loan deal with an option to buy, which was activated in the summer.
This season, he has played every minute of Genoa's Serie A campaign and has impressed for his side, seeking to establish itself as a player in the Italian top-flight once again after returning from the second tier earlier in 2023.
As per Sofascore, Dragusin has completed 83% of his passes this season, averaging 0.5 key passes, 3.3 ball recoveries and 4.5 clearances per game and finding success in 69% of his duels.
Noted for his "dominant" defending by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 12-cap Romania international also ranks among the top 21% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 14% for assists and the top 15% for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref.
Such variegated attributes underscore the modern skill set that doesn't fall upon any one segment of the defensive game, instead, Dragusin offers a range of qualities tailor-made for the fluid system of an ambitious outfit such as Spurs.
But, with the 6 foot 3 star's ferocity being his standout trait, it's clear that Postecoglou views Dragusin as the perfect understudy to Cristian Romero, who is probably Spurs' best centre-half despite the exploits of Micky van de Ven following his £43m transfer form Wolfsburg in August.
Goals
0.09
Top 12%
Shot-creating actions
1.11
Top 17%
Pass completion
89.5%
Top 17%
Progressive passes
4.77
Top 18%
Tackles
2.45
Top 5%
Interceptions
1.58
Top 19%
Romero is brilliant. He's tenacious, tough and commanding in the heart of the backline, having been described as the "best defender in the world right now" by legendary Argentina teammate Lionel Messi, who knows a thing or two about gauging the level of defenders.
That being said, it's not unjust to say that the 24-year-old has something of a rash streak, with pundit Chris Sutton criticising the "reckless" nature of some of his challenges.
It is this precipitous nature that resulted in his dismissal during the Lilywhites' detrimental 4-1 home defeat against Chelsea at the end of November, starting the recently snapped winless run.
Scoring against West Ham United on his return last week before stirring controversy with a lunging stamp on Callum Wilson at the weekend, Postecoglou must feel that his prized defensive asset's mercurial moments require sturdy support.
This comes in the form of Dragusin, who could emulate Romero's style and serve as the perfect counterweight to the left-sided Van de Ven.
How Radu Dragusin could slot in at Tottenham
With Van de Ven sidelined until after the new year and Romero missing three recent Premier League matches due to suspension, the Lilywhites' 58-year-old boss opted to field Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as a central defensive partnership for two fixtures.
Such an axis, coming at Postecoglou's behest, materialised at the expense of Eric Dier, who is a centre-back and performed 42 times in the role last term, but having not featured since the late capitulation against Wolverhampton Wanderers, his time appears to be up.
Out of contract at the end of the campaign and unfavoured by the new manager, Dier will be searching for pastures new in a matter of months and Dragusin could be signed as the perfect replacement, with Davies – to his credit – proving his worth as a back-up option over the past several weeks.
Waxing lyrical over the Romania native's abilities in the past, his former manager Andrea Pirlo said: "He’s physically very strong. He’s very young and must develop on a technical level, but he will have time to do it, training every day with great champions."
Moving to Genoa appears to have been the gateway to such development, and he is now growing into his skin and looking an excellent option to bolster the Spurs backline.
He's not perfect, but aged just 21 and available for around £26m, it would be wise for Postecoglou to snap him up and continue to mould this exciting Tottenham project to his own creation.