Tottenham's Defensive Strategy: The Future of Luka Vuskovic
Tottenham’s £52m bet on Jan Paul van Hecke has clarified one thing and clouded another. They know exactly what kind of defender Roberto De Zerbi wants. They have no idea what to do with Luka Vuskovic.
The 19-year-old Croatian, fresh from an impressive loan at Hamburg, has made his position clear: he wants to start, and he wants to do it now. No more loans. No more waiting. Brighton have twice tried to give him that platform, most recently with a £35m bid. Tottenham have twice said no.
That refusal looks bolder with every passing day.
A logjam at centre-back
Spurs are building a defence in De Zerbi’s image. Marcos Senesi has already arrived. Van Hecke is on his way for £52m, a huge fee for a defender with one year left on his Brighton contract. If Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero both stay, Vuskovic suddenly drops to fifth choice.
For a teenager being talked about inside the club as a potential world-class centre-back, that is a brutal reality. The belief at Spurs is genuine: they see Vuskovic as a future elite defender. They just don’t see him as a Premier League regular in August.
The comparison with William Saliba at Arsenal is hard to ignore. Saliba needed three loans in Ligue 1 before he came back and dominated the Premier League. Tottenham see a similar pathway for Vuskovic. The player does not.
He wants a permanent home, a starting shirt, and a league that will test him every week. Brighton can offer that. What they will not do is pay Tottenham’s price.
Brighton’s push, Spurs’ resistance
Brighton’s last offer, £35m, is substantial for a teenager. But after agreeing to sell Van Hecke to Spurs for £52m, they are not rushing back with a third bid. From their side, the logic is simple: they are prepared to invest in Vuskovic, just not at a number they consider inflated.
From Tottenham’s side, the logic is just as clear. They intend to spend heavily this summer to reshape De Zerbi’s squad. That demands sales. Yet in an ideal world, those sales come from players who are not central to the club’s long-term vision. Vuskovic is.
So the stand-off continues. Brighton can give the teenager what he wants on the pitch. Spurs can only offer a loan. For now, neither side is blinking.
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has already underlined the key point: Vuskovic must play regularly. Tottenham agree with the principle. They simply disagree on the method.
Van Hecke: De Zerbi’s man
If there was any doubt over who is driving Tottenham’s recruitment, Van Hecke’s transfer ends it. This is De Zerbi’s signing, at De Zerbi’s price.
The Dutchman, who only wanted to join Spurs, knows exactly what awaits him. He played 50 games under De Zerbi at Brighton between 2023 and 2024, learning the Italian’s demanding, high-risk approach to building from the back. Brighton, who bought him from NAC Breda for £1.8m in 2020, will bank a huge profit and have secured a 20 per cent sell-on clause for the future.
Inside Tottenham, this deal is seen as both a statement and a reward. De Zerbi kept the club in the Premier League and has now been handed full control and the final say on transfers. He has asked for specific profiles. The club is delivering them.
The business will not stop at centre-back. Spurs hold a strong interest in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and remain keen on Manchester City forward Savinho. The message is unmistakable: this is going to be De Zerbi’s team, in his shape, at his tempo.
A clear tactical blueprint
The pattern in defence is striking. Senesi arrived on a free after excelling at Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola, where he drilled vertical passes through the thirds. Van Hecke thrived in De Zerbi’s system at Brighton, breaking lines and playing through pressure.
Last season, Senesi and Van Hecke ranked as the Premier League’s top two defenders for bypassing opponents with their passing. They don’t just clear danger. They dismantle opposition structures with the ball.
De Zerbi wants centre-backs who can start attacks, not just end them. Tottenham’s numbers show a gap there. In pure passing ability and progression, Senesi and Van Hecke sit a level above Romero and Van de Ven. That is the shift: from solid defenders who can play, to playmakers who happen to defend.
It is no coincidence. It is a plan.
The Romero question
All of this throws a harsh spotlight on Romero. On his day, he is one of the most aggressive, imposing defenders in the league. The problem is that “his day” comes roughly half the time. Injuries, suspensions, and the constant sense of drama have become part of the package.
Inside the club, there is an acceptance that a serious offer for Romero would have to be considered. The key is the size of that offer. Let him go too cheaply and you weaken the squad. Keep him without clarity and you risk blocking the evolution De Zerbi wants.
If Senesi and Van Hecke both slot in as first-choice ball-playing defenders, someone will lose minutes. Romero and Van de Ven are no longer guaranteed anything.
Vuskovic caught in the middle
And then there is Vuskovic, watching all of this unfold from the fringes.
Tottenham rate him too highly to cash in easily. Brighton value him enough to push to £35m but not enough to go beyond that. The player wants a permanent step into senior football at the highest level. Spurs can only offer another loan, a path he no longer wants.
Dalic’s warning hangs over the situation: a talent of this level must not stall on the bench. Tottenham insist they see the bigger picture. Brighton insist they won’t be held to ransom. The market, as always, will decide.
For now, Spurs are building a back line in De Zerbi’s image, with Van Hecke and Senesi at the heart of it and Romero’s future in the balance.
The question is whether there is still room in that picture for a 19-year-old who believes he is ready now, and a club that believes he will be ready later.
