The Tottenham youngster is the subject of plenty of transfer interest this summer and has made his intentions clear about what he wants
There are three sides to the Luka Vuskovic situation at Tottenham Hotspur and ultimately it all revolves a youngster who turned 19 just three months ago.
Never before at the north London club has so much noise and potential money been involved with a player who has yet to even turn out in a single competitive game for Spurs. Tottenham have lost youngsters from their academy in the past, most notably Noni Madueke, before they reached first team level, but this is a bizarre situation where one of Europe’s most wanted young defenders is seemingly not particularly wanted right now at his own club.
So with Brighton said to have made a bid worth £45million in total for Vuskovic, with the teenager ‘liking’ a post about that offer on Instagram, what comes next for the Croatian centre-back and how did we get to this ridiculous point?
Let’s start with Tottenham’s side of things because it explains the process. Spurs signed Vuskovic in 2023 from Hajduk Split for around £12million, with the north London outfit seeing off big clubs like Manchester City to grab his signature. However, due to FIFA rules the Croatian was not able to officially join until he was 18-years-old in 2025.
When the defender did arrive last summer, he caught the eye with a goal and assist in a 2-0 summer friendly win against Reading but Spurs’ then head coach Thomas Frank did not believe the teenager was ready and would not get the game time he needed to develop. While his natural talent was clear, as well as his physical presence, there were some concerns about his pace and acceleration as well as his decision-making but ones that could be worked on.
Just 12 months ago and Vuskovic agreed fully with Tottenham’s assessment of him because he felt the same about not being at the required level yet. He was loaned to Hamburg where his brother Mario was being supported during a lengthy suspension.
“[Spurs] offered me an option to stay, to play in case of injury or cup matches, but I wanted continuous minutes,” the defender admitted soon after his loan to HSV. “They have Romero and Van de Ven playing there, two of the best centre-backs in the world at the moment.
“I believe in myself, but it’s really difficult to play next to them. I’ve faced them and I realised that I still have to work harder. A lot of work and a little luck, so I’ll be back.”
The teenager worked on his acceleration issues with former Croatian decathlete Josko Vlasic and became a star in Germany. He was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season despite playing for an HSV side that was battling in the lower reaches of the table against relegation.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of Vuskovic: “He’s a great talent. The Bundesliga is a very difficult league to develop as a young central defender. You have to be physically strong. Having a key role at HSV is ideal.”
“Fantastic! That’s quality. At 18, he plays as if he’s already played in three World Cups,” said German legend and former Bayern midfielder Lothar Matthaus. “When I was 30, I didn’t see what he saw at 18. This player is so intelligent. You rarely find that. How cleverly he played. He’s doing everything right. Something really, really great could come of this.”
Former Spurs and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, one of the most decorated players in the game, said of his namesake: “He has a great future ahead of him, he just has to keep going like this.”
So Vuskovic’s profile rose and rose and Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic not only named him in his World Cup squad but placed him right in the centre of his back three against England for the opener in Dallas. The teenager showed glimpses of what he can do, winning the ball back to set up his country’s first goal and his defensive numbers were better than most of his older team-mates, but he also showed signs of his youth and lack of pace for a couple of England’s goals.
There is no doubt though that he is a major talent and Brighton would not look to spend such money if their top level player acquisition set-up told them otherwise.
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So when everybody is informing you how good you are, yet you see your club sign two new centre-backs after telling you how big a future you have, you’re going to feel unwanted. For Tottenham, they will point to William Saliba’s situation at Arsenal with the Frenchman having three loans after they beat their north London rivals to sign the Frenchman in 2019 before becoming the Premier League star he is now.
That’s a difficult pill for a teenager to swallow though and that brings us to the player’s side of things.
For while Vuskovic has only had one loan since arriving at Tottenham, the north London club and Hajduk worked together to ensure he got plenty of game time before his move by getting him two other loans, first to Radomiak in Poland and then Westerlo in Belgium.
So looking at it from the teenager’s side, he’s lived a nomadic presence over recent years and he’s already had those three loans like Saliba without a club to actually settle in. Hamburg felt like home because of his family connections but by his own admission it was always likely to be a one-season deal.
To then see Tottenham sign the right-sided centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke especially would have felt like a kick in the teeth for Vuskovic because it was proof that his new head coach Roberto De Zerbi would prefer to spend £52million on a former player than take a look at the defender he already had.
Spurs have handed De Zerbi the keys to the kingdom and there is going to be some collateral damage like Vuskovic in doing so along with the positives. Whether the damage is greater than the rebuild will be seen in what’s to come.
So for Vuskovic, when a club like Brighton show real determination – with a bid nearing the same amount as Spurs paid for their newest Dutchman – to want to bring you and say that you will play in the Premier League in Van Hecke’s place, it’s going to turn a teenager’s head and those around him.
‘Liking’ that post about the Seagulls’ bid showed Vuskovic’s hand and his comments to Croatian media outlet HRT after the defeat to England further impressed that need to be wanted.
“For now, I’m only focused on the World Cup. However, my goal next season is to play for a club that wants me, for a club where I’ll play, and we’ll see what happens in the coming days and weeks,” he said.
The third side of course is those around Vuskovic. Despite his tenders years, his talent and reputation from a child means he has a group around him of local and global representatives, all under the umbrella of Gol International, owned by super agent Pini Zahavi.
The main aim will be for the teenager to play regular football to continue to develop but also a firm eye on his path ahead. Brighton will be an attractive option, not only for their ability to develop players, but also to sell them on for mega money to the Premier League’s biggest clubs a year or two later such as Chelsea and Liverpool.
They will look at Brighton as being similar to Bournemouth and what happened with Dean Huijsen moving to Real Madrid after just one season. There has been interest from Barcelona and Bayern Munich among others in Vuskovic, but as of yet neither have made a firm approach and both European giants would likely treat him in the same way as Tottenham have with a loan or at the best a sprinkling of game time.
Ultimately though, everybody seems to be forgetting that Vuskovic is just 19-years-old and admitted himself only 12 months ago that he was not at the level required. Patience is a thing of the past in football. He has a long contract at Tottenham until 2030 and the club hold the power to decide what comes next, regardless of what the youngster or those around him do.
An ideal scenario would be to loan him to a Premier League club for the coming season to allow him to prove to everyone that he’s ready without Spurs losing him in the process. There are just not enough fixtures for Tottenham this season to get him the game time he needs.
Tottenham value Vuskovic at higher than what Brighton are proposing but at some point the figure offered could reach one that is so far removed from the £12million they originally spent, with Spurs likely wanting a sell-on clause as well, that it becomes difficult to not simply see it as big money to spend on building a team for now rather than always for the future.
That could end up being the right decision if Vuskovic does not kick on and cannot adapt to the Premier League while Tottenham flourish under De Zerbi. Equally it could be a disastrous call and Vuskovic could end up being the superstar Spurs let slip through their fingers. The coming weeks and then years will provide the answer.
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