Tottenham’s Radu Dragusin is suffering from ACL -Damage, expected to miss the rest of the season

Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin is expected to miss the rest of the 2024-25 season after injuring the front cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in last week’s Europa League match against Elfsborg.

Romania Midtback will soon undergo an operation with a top crack surgeon in London and will probably be out for a long period of time. This means that Dragusin is likely to not be with this season, expecting him to be out for six months. The hope is that he will return during the summer and will be back early next season.

Dragusin has played a key role in Spurs’ season after injuries to Micky Van De Friend and Cristian Romero and keeps the defense with Archie Gray and Ben Davies.

He started 21 out of 22 matches for Spurs in all competitions between October 30 last year and 26 January, and the one game he didn’t start, against Chelsea, he moved on after 15 minutes. Dragusin injured his knee last Thursday, 20 minutes after being at Van de Ven against Elfsborg.

Ange Postecoglou admitted on Sunday night, after Spurs’ 2-0 win at Brentford that Dragusin’s injury was worrying. “It doesn’t look good,” Postecoglou said. “But I think he sees specialists on Monday and we get more information then.”

Dragusin, who turns 23 today (Monday, February 3rd), was signed from Genoa in Italy last January. Tottenham beat competition from Bayern Munich on his signature.

Postecoglou has treated a significant injury crisis this season, especially at the back. Dragusin joins the center-back Romero and left-back Destiny Udogie on the sidelines, while Van De Friend and Davies have only just returned after losing several matches with injuries.

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The injuries saw Dragusin become a regular starting with 18-year-old gray, typically a midfielder, in the heart of the defense.

Kevin Danso has joined Spurs on loan from Ligue 1 Club lens with a commitment to make the move permanently for € 25million (£ 20.9 million, $ 25.9 million) in the summer, helping to strengthen backline. The athletic Reported on Monday that they had also had a bid rejected for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.

Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Wilson Odobert are all out with injury, though Postecoglou has said all six are set to return soon. Romero and Dominic Solanke are the only other absences in the longer term.

Dragusin joined Tottenham in January 2024 from Serie A Side Genoa. He mostly served as a backup to Romero and Van De Friend in his first season, but has performed a total of 28 performances this season that started 25 times.

Spurs return to action against Liverpool in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final Thursday, leading 1-0 overall.

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Analysis from Athletic’s Tottenham -Correspondent Jay Harris

This is a huge blow to Tottenham, and that explains their dramatic turns in the last few days of the window to hunt for centerbacks.

Dragusin rejected an offer from Bayern Munich to participate in Spurs in January 2024 from the Italian side Genoa for £ 25million. Romania International has performed 28 performances in all competitions for them this season, including starting 13 out of 14 top-flight fents since November until Sunday’s victory over Brentford.

Dragusin has been integrated into Ange Postecoglou’s side, while first-choice centers-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are struggling with injuries. He has created an unlikely partnership with Gray and helped Spurs register a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first stage of their Carabao Cup semi-final bonding.

Postecoglou said last week that Romero’s improvement from a quad injury is a “slow burner” while Van de Friend succeeded 45 minutes against Elfsborg last week, but missed Sunday’s trip to Brentford.

Spurs are facing the prospect of playing the biggest game of their season, Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final other stage, without their three main centers-backs, which is why the signing of Kevin Danso was crucial and why they chased after Axel Disasi on Deadline Day. It’s a huge shame for Dragusin, who had finally got an extended race in the team.

(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)