Luka Vuskovic's Future: Spurs vs Brighton
Tottenham’s centre-back revolution is under way. And caught right in the middle of it is Luka Vuskovic.
The 19-year-old, fresh from a standout season on loan at Hamburg, wants what every elite young defender eventually demands: a permanent place in a starting XI. Not promises. Not pathways. A shirt. Every week.
Right now, Spurs can’t give him that. Brighton can. And that’s where the problem starts.
Vuskovic wants minutes, Spurs want patience
Tottenham have already turned down two bids from Brighton for Vuskovic, the latest around £35m. Brighton have now stepped back from the table for the time being, reluctant to keep pushing the fee higher.
Vuskovic, regarded inside Spurs as one of the most gifted defensive prospects in Europe, does not want another loan. He has done his development stint in Germany, built his reputation in the Championship-style grind of Hamburg, and believes he is ready for a major role now.
Tottenham don’t see it that way. Not yet.
The club hierarchy are convinced he can become one of the best defenders in the world, but they also believe the Premier League leap, as a regular starter, is still a step too far this season. They can only realistically offer him a loan move and a promise that his time will come.
Brighton can offer him what he is asking for: a place in the first-team frame straight away. What they will not do is overpay for the privilege.
So the stalemate grows.
A crowded corridor at the heart of defence
Vuskovic’s pathway at Spurs has narrowed sharply in the last few weeks.
Jan Paul van Hecke is set to arrive from Brighton in a £52m deal, joining Marcos Senesi, who has already signed this summer. If Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both stay, Vuskovic drops to fifth choice in the pecking order.
Fifth choice means cup games, injuries, suspensions and little else. It does not mean the kind of regular football a 19-year-old with ambitions of becoming Croatia’s long-term defensive anchor is looking for.
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has been clear: Vuskovic needs to be somewhere he plays regularly. Spurs agree with the principle. They just don’t have the space to guarantee it at the level he wants, unless it’s via another loan.
The parallel with William Saliba at Arsenal is obvious. Saliba spent three separate loans in France before finally being trusted as a Premier League starter and then blossoming into one of the division’s outstanding centre-backs. Spurs see a similar long game with Vuskovic.
The difference? Saliba didn’t have a Brighton offering him a Premier League shortcut and a starting role.
De Zerbi’s Spurs take shape
All of this is happening against the backdrop of a major rebuild in north London.
Tottenham are backing Roberto De Zerbi heavily. Van Hecke’s arrival, at £52m with a 20 per cent sell-on clause negotiated by Brighton, is a clear sign of that. The Dutchman had one year left on his contract and made it plain he wanted to work with De Zerbi again, having played 50 times under him between 2023 and 2024.
He only wanted Tottenham. Tottenham only wanted him.
The club have already brought in Senesi on a free, another defender comfortable taking the ball under pressure and punching passes through the lines. De Zerbi has his type, and the recruitment is following it relentlessly.
This is the manager’s blueprint, translated directly into the transfer market: centre-backs who can progress the ball, break pressure and start attacks from deep.
Under Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, Senesi was used in a very vertical, aggressive passing role, firing the ball through the thirds quickly. Van Hecke, meanwhile, is already well-versed in De Zerbi’s intense, high-risk build-up style from their time together at Brighton. That work has since been developed by Fabian Hurzeler, who openly referenced the De Zerbi influence on defenders playing out from the back.
The numbers underline why Spurs are so determined to get this right. Last season, Senesi and Van Hecke were the top two defenders in the Premier League for bypassing opponents with their passing. They are, statistically and stylistically, a level above Romero and Van de Ven when it comes to building from the back.
Spurs have identified a weakness. De Zerbi has supplied the solution. The club are paying to implement it.
Romero at a crossroads
Whenever a club spends big on two centre-backs, attention naturally turns to the ones already in the building.
Cristian Romero remains one of the most talented defenders in the league on his best days. The problem is how often those days come. Injuries, suspensions, and questions over his availability have dogged his time at Spurs. There was even speculation at the end of last season about whether he would attend the final game.
Inside the club, there is no great mystery. If a major offer lands for Romero, Tottenham will have to think about it. The key is the size of the bid, not the idea of selling.
For now, his future is uncertain, just as it was before he signed his last new deal. If he stays, he and Van de Ven face a direct challenge from two defenders tailor-made for De Zerbi’s possession-heavy, high-risk style.
If he goes, the door opens slightly for Vuskovic. But only slightly.
Big spending, hard choices
Tottenham are preparing an aggressive summer. They want to reshape the spine of the team, with strong interest in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and continued admiration for Manchester City forward Savinho.
Big spending usually means big sales. The club would prefer those sales to come from players who are clearly not part of De Zerbi’s long-term plan. Vuskovic is not in that group. He is firmly in the “future star” category.
That is what makes this such an awkward dilemma. Selling him now would ease the financial picture and solve the logjam at centre-back. It would also mean cashing in on a player they believe could one day be among the best in the world, just to fund the present.
For Brighton, the equation is simpler. They see a teenager ready for minutes, ready to develop inside a clear structure, and they are prepared to give him the stage. Just not at any price.
For Vuskovic, the choice is starker still. Wait, accept another loan, and trust Spurs’ long-term plan? Or push for the permanent move that gives him what he wants immediately?
The window is long. The situation can drag. But with De Zerbi reshaping Tottenham’s defence in his own image, and Brighton lurking with a proposal that fits the player’s ambitions, something will eventually have to give — and it may define the next decade of his career.
