Tottenham are set to strengthen Roberto De Zerbi’s central defensive options but that could have a knock-on effect for the current crop at the back
Roberto De Zerbi looks set to get new defensive recruits with Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke linked to Tottenham but that will mean exits from his current group of centre-backs.
Spurs are expected to seal a free transfer for Bournemouth’s player of the season Senesi as the 29-year-old Argentine’s contract heads towards its conclusion this month. The north London club are also currently in talks with Brighton over the Seagulls 2024/25 player of the season Van Hecke after having a bid rejected for the centre-back, who turns 26 on Monday.
Handing De Zerbi both of those players would certainly bolster a defence that has conceded 183 goals in the Premier League in the past three seasons. However, it would also have a knock-on effect because the Italian would be left with far too many centre-backs for a season ahead that will not contain the extra fixtures and minutes that European football brings.
With that in mind, football.london is continuing our keep, loan or sell series with a look at Spurs’ eight current senior centre-backs, starting with the club captain.
Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero’s future looks increasingly like it’s not going to be at Spurs next season once the World Cup is done, despite the Argentine only signing a new contract last summer.
De Zerbi was unable to confirm whether the club captain would be sticking around beyond this summer and with Tottenham looking for maximum value for those players who either do not want to be at the club or are not part of the plans, this could be the best chance to get a good fee for the 28-year-old.
That of course depends though on what clubs are willing to pay for Romero. On his day, he’s a top drawer defender and a good World Cup with Messi & Co will only push his name further up the wishlists of Europe’s big clubs.
In an ideal word De Zerbi would want to keep Romero, who contributed 10 goal involvements last season, but after two seasons in which the Argentine has played 18 and then 23 Premier League matches due to injury or suspension, the Italian and Spurs might feel the money can be better used elsewhere.
Verdict: Sell if a major bid arrives
Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven looks set to be a big part of De Zerbi’s team after the head coach called the Dutchman the best left-sided centre-back in the Premier League.
After the previous season’s injury problems, Van de Ven played more minutes (3,943) than any other outfield Spurs player in the 25/26 campaign, with 45 appearances and 18 of those as captain in the absence of Romero. The Netherlands international also added goals to his game – seven of them – to eventually become Tottenham’s joint second top scorer of the season.
By his own admission his levels dropped during the campaign but, like many others, he improved under De Zerbi and that hopefully bodes well for a better time next season, especially with competition from another left footer in Senesi and with the experience of a World Cup under his belt.
Verdict: Keep
Kevin Danso
Kevin Danso became an important part of the defence that ended up keeping Tottenham in the Premier League as he filled in admirably for the injured Romero.
De Zerbi admitted to football.london that the 27-year-old is still getting to grips with his required quick passing style but made it clear that “he will be here next season” after praising the rest of the Austria international’s qualities.
Another who will play at this summer’s World Cup, Danso offers solid defensive cover and will give his all whenever called upon.
Verdict: Keep
Radu Dragusin
Radu Dragusin is another centre-back who is expected to depart this summer, with the move for Van Hecke signalling that he would move even further down the pecking order.
There are plenty of clubs in Serie A looking to take the Romanian back to Italy, and with an agent who might as well hold a press conference each week with the amount he speaks to the media, the world will soon know about any interest that becomes something more serious.
Dragusin is a good defender who was knocked back by that ACL injury-enforced absence and he needs to get his career back up and running again with regular starts.
Verdict: Sell
Luka Vuskovic
Luka Vuskovic ‘s time at Hamburg saw him named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season despite the 19-year-old being in the backline of a club battling against relegation.
The centre-back has got the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich and many more watching him closely as he prepares to head off to the World Cup with Croatia.
Even though he is just a teenager, Vuskovic played 30 matches for HSV and scored six goals, some of them spectacular, while providing one assist. The only concern about his Premier League readiness is his lack of acceleration but Vuskovic has been working on that with a Croatian decathlete this season.
He’s now valued as a £50million-plus player and De Zerbi faces a big decision. He must decide whether to continue with the longer road for him, as Arsenal did with William Saliba’s three loans after they beat their north London rivals to sign the Frenchman in 2019, or bring Vuskovic back now.
Those in the game say Vuskovic has a far higher ceiling than Van Hecke, but the problem is ensuring the teenager, who has a contract until 2030, gets the minutes he requires for his continued rapid development in a season in which Spurs do not have European football and therefore far fewer games in the schedule.
Verdict: Should be keep but will probably be loan
Kota Takai
Kota Takai had a far less impressive time in the Bundesliga than Vuskovic and his whole experience since coming over from Japan has been a mess.
The 21-year-old suffered a foot injury soon after arriving at Spurs last summer and when he returned to fitness months later, he was sent out on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach. Unfortunately Takai struggled for game time and then picked up a muscle strain which meant he made just three starts for the German side with four minutes of football from the end of February onwards.
The Japan international is miles off playing Premier League football at the moment and with a contract until 2030 the club need to get him out on loan again to help him develop.
Verdict: Loan
Ashley Phillips
Ashley Phillips is the forgotten Tottenham centre-back despite continually impressing out on loan.
In his second season with Stoke, the 20-year-old made it on to the shortlist for the Championship’s Young Player of the Season award and played more minutes in the league than any other player aged 20 or under this season.
However, it feels like with the queue of centre-backs ahead of him and more arriving this summer, he may never play a competitive game in a Spurs shirt.
You have to feel for the talented young defender but there will be no shortage of takers for him. De Zerbi might take a look at him in pre-season this summer but the new arrivals being sought do not bode well for his chances of staying.
Verdict: Sell to let him move on and enjoy his career
Alfie Dorrington
Alfie Dorrington made his Premier League debut for Spurs in the 2024/25 season and then enjoyed a Scottish FA Cup-winning loan at Aberdeen.
This season though saw the 21-year-old return to the Scottish club but a groin injury hampered his time there and he then made a winter window switch to League Two side Salford City and helped them reach the play-off final where they lost to Notts County.
Dorrington has a contract until 2029 so another loan move appears to beckon unless a good permanent offer comes in for the defender and he can start to settle at a club rather than continue to be one of Tottenham’s nomadic tribe of loan players.
Verdict: Loan if a permanent bid does not arrive
