Tottenham's Defensive Rebuild: Vuskovic's Future in Limbo
Tottenham’s defensive rebuild under Roberto De Zerbi is gathering pace. The problem is, it might leave one of Europe’s most coveted young centre-backs stuck in limbo.
Vuskovic wants the stage, not another rehearsal
Luka Vuskovic is 19, already blooded in the pressure of Hamburg and widely regarded inside Spurs as a potential world‑class defender. Not just good. One of the best.
He wants to play now.
After a standout loan in the 2. Bundesliga, the Croatian teenager has made it clear he has no interest in another temporary move. He wants a starting shirt, week in, week out, at a top level. Brighton are willing to give him that platform. Tottenham are not.
Brighton have twice tested Spurs’ resolve, the latest offer reaching £35m. Both bids were rejected. For now, the Seagulls are stepping back, unwilling to keep nudging up the price while Spurs hold firm.
The timing is awkward for Vuskovic. Tottenham have agreed a £52m deal to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, on top of this summer’s free transfer arrival of Marcos Senesi. If Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero stay, Vuskovic slides to fifth in the centre-back queue.
Fifth choice at 19, when the world is telling you you’re ready, is a hard sell.
Inside Spurs, there is no doubt about his ceiling. They see the same thing Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic sees: a defender who needs minutes, mistakes, and responsibility to grow into his potential. Dalic has been clear — Vuskovic must find a club where he will play regularly. Tottenham agree in principle. In practice, they can only offer a loan.
Brighton can offer what the player wants: a starting role in a league he is ready to embrace. But they will not overpay. That stand-off, between Spurs’ valuation and Brighton’s limit, has turned Vuskovic into the centre of a slow-burning transfer saga.
There is an echo here of William Saliba’s path at Arsenal. The Frenchman went on three separate loans before finally being trusted as a Premier League starter and then exploding into one of the division’s elite defenders. Spurs see Vuskovic on a similar arc. The difference? He is pushing hard to fast‑forward the story.
Van Hecke: De Zerbi gets “his” defender
While Vuskovic waits, Van Hecke’s route is clear.
Tottenham have struck a deal worth around £52m for the Netherlands international, who has one year left on his Brighton contract. The Seagulls, who signed him for £1.8m from NAC Breda in 2020, are set for a huge profit and have secured a 20 per cent sell‑on clause.
Van Hecke wanted only one club. He wanted De Zerbi.
The 26-year-old played 50 games under the Italian at Brighton between 2023 and 2024 and has made no secret of how strongly he feels about working with him again, describing De Zerbi as a “father figure”. Now he gets to anchor the Italian’s new project in north London.
From Tottenham’s side, this is a statement of faith in their head coach. De Zerbi kept them up. Now he has the final say on the players coming through the door. Van Hecke is not a committee signing. He is the defender De Zerbi specifically asked for.
He fits the template too. Comfortable on the ball, aggressive in stepping out, adept at taking opposition players out of the game by punching passes through the lines. In many ways, he mirrors Senesi, whose vertical passing at Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola turned defence into attack in an instant.
Yes, the fee is hefty. Spurs are paying for chemistry, certainty and a style fit as much as for profile.
A clear blueprint at the back
De Zerbi’s plan is not subtle. He wants centre-backs who can play.
Senesi and Van Hecke ranked as two of the Premier League’s best last season for bypassing defenders with their passing. They don’t just clear danger; they dismantle a press. They absorb pressure and then break it with one pass through the thirds.
Fabian Hürzeler, who followed De Zerbi at Brighton, even highlighted how much the Italian’s influence had shaped his own approach, particularly in asking defenders to play out from the back in risky areas. Van Hecke has lived that reality. Spurs are betting heavily that he can recreate it in London.
The numbers underline why this matters. In terms of pure passing ability and progression, Senesi and Van Hecke sit a level above Romero and Van de Ven. That doesn’t diminish the latter pair’s qualities — pace, aggression, front‑foot defending — but it explains the direction of travel. De Zerbi wants his centre-backs to be playmakers as much as stoppers.
Which drags the conversation back to the existing cast.
Romero question, Vuskovic dilemma
Cristian Romero remains the great unknown in all of this. On his day, he looks every inch one of the best defenders in the world. The issue is how rarely Spurs see that day.
Injuries and suspensions have reduced his availability to something close to half a season. His temperament, his fitness, his reliability — all of it has been under the microscope. There was even debate over whether he would be in the stands for the final game of last season.
Inside the club, the stance is pragmatic. If a big offer lands, they will consider it. The key is just that: it has to be big enough.
Spurs plan to spend heavily this summer, and significant outgoings will follow. The preference is to raise funds from players who are not central to De Zerbi’s long-term vision. Moving on from Vuskovic, a player they believe could become one of the best in the world, is not part of that ideal scenario.
Yet the clock is ticking. He does not want another loan. Spurs can’t promise him the role he craves. Brighton can, but won’t meet Tottenham’s price.
So the club presses ahead with a major reshaping of its defence: Van Hecke arriving, Senesi already in, Romero’s future in the balance, Van de Ven still key. And Vuskovic, the teenager with sky‑high potential, waits for clarity.
At some point, Spurs will have to decide: is he the cornerstone of De Zerbi’s defence in the years to come, or the sacrifice that funds the next phase of this rebuild?
