Roberto De Zerbi is never one for sentiment. The Tottenham manager, a man who treats his tactical chalkboard like a battlefield map, has now set his s...
Roberto De Zerbi is never one for sentiment. The Tottenham manager, a man who treats his tactical chalkboard like a battlefield map, has now set his sights on dismantling the youth stockpile at Hotspur Way. Word from the training ground suggests that Luka Vuskovic, the £86m rated Croatian prodigy currently tearing up the second tier with Hamburg, is being shown the door. It is a startling call, even by De Zerbi's exacting standards.You have to wonder what more the lad could have done. Vuskovic has been a revelation in Germany, reading the game like a veteran and playing out from the back with a composure that belies his teenage years. He looks every inch the modern, ball playing centre half. Liverpool have been tracking him for months. Chelsea, in their usual scattergun recruitment frenzy, have him on a list. Yet here we are, with De Zerbi apparently ready to declare him surplus to requirements before he has even laced his boots for a single competitive minute in North London.What is the reasoning Some will tell you it is about tactical flexibility. The Croatian is a towering presence, excellent in the air and strong in the challenge, but De Zerbi demands a specific kind of high risk, high reward defender. He wants a player who can take the ball on the half turn under pressure and split the opposition line with a single pass. Perhaps De Zerbi sees a rigidity in Vuskovic's game, a lack of the explosive transitional play required for his system. Or perhaps it is simpler than that. Perhaps it is just cold, hard pragmatism. Sell a highly rated asset while his stock is at its peak to fund a move for a more established, ready made star.For the chasing pack, this is a gift. A £86m price tag will put off many, but this is a player who, in a normal market, would command a fee closer to that of a finished article. Liverpool need a long term partner for Van Dijk, someone who can learn the ropes and eventually take the reins. Chelsea need almost everything at the back, but a young, physically dominant leader would be a smart start. The question is whether either club will blink first. The summer window is shaping up to be a fascinating affair, and the Vuskovic situation, a saga that seemed settled, is now well and truly in the mixer.
