Spurs' spending spree rolls on: Dragusin heads to Fiorentina as De Zerbi's record-breaking rebuild takes shape
Tottenham have agreed a loan-with-obligation deal to send Radu Dragusin to Fiorentina, the latest move in a summer that has already seen the club smash their transfer record twice in a matter of days.
Tottenham's frantic summer shows no sign of slowing. The latest piece of business is an outgoing one: Radu Dragusin is set to join Fiorentina on an initial loan, with a heavily structured obligation to buy that could turn permanent, according to Sky Sports and the reporter Alasdair Gold. It is the newest twist in a window that has already reshaped the squad under Roberto De Zerbi, and that has seen Spurs spend at a level rarely associated with the club.
The Dragusin deal
The structure is telling. Spurs have agreed a loan with an obligation to buy worth £21.4m (25m euros), triggered automatically if the Romanian centre-back hits a set number of competitive appearances for the Viola. On top of that, Tottenham have protected the player's long-term value by inserting a 10% sell-on clause, guaranteeing themselves a slice of any future profit Fiorentina make. Sky Sports report the verbal agreements are sealed, with the paperwork expected to follow quickly so the defender can link up with his new team-mates in Florence.
For Dragusin, it is a chance to rebuild. He arrived in North London with a big reputation, having reportedly turned down a late approach from Bayern Munich to chase a career in England, but he struggled to command a regular starting role and then lost a large chunk of his stay to a serious knee injury. A return to Serie A, where he previously impressed at Genoa, Juventus and Sampdoria, offers the platform to get his career moving again.
A record-breaking rebuild
Dragusin's exit is a footnote to the bigger story: the scale of Tottenham's activity this summer. In a matter of days the club broke its transfer record twice, first paying £85m for Mateus Fernandes and then agreeing a £100m deal for Sandro Tonali to transform the midfield. Those two alone represent a statement of ambition, and they sit alongside a £52m move for the Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke and a trio of free transfers in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka.
The outgoings have helped fund it. Spurs recouped £50m by selling the highly-rated Luka Vuskovic to Brighton, and the young forward Alejo Veliz is set to join the Brazilian side Bahia. Dragusin now becomes the latest to leave, trimming a squad that De Zerbi is clearly moulding to his own specifications.
Whether the spending translates into a serious challenge is the question that will define Tottenham's season. Records have been broken and the wage bill has climbed, but silverware and consistency are earned on the pitch, not in the transfer market. For now, though, the intent is impossible to miss: this is a club backing its manager and going big.
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