Tottenham loaned out Radu Dragusin to Fiorentina in the summer. The player’s agent has now been vocal about his selection for the Romanian national team.
The centre-back’s first few weeks in Florence were chaotic. Fiorentina sacked Fabio Grosso just three weeks into the campaign, as Paolo Vanoli returned after a matter of months.
This has helped Dragusin, who has become a central figure in the backline again. Sport Witness have covered how his agent has been happy with the move. He sees it as the perfect step for his career, after the failures at Tottenham.
That isn’t the first time he has spoken to the Romanian press. Florin Manea constantly used the media in his home country and Italy to push through his player’s exit. Now, he has attracted attention again.
Agent speaks up about NT treatment
Before Romania’s Nations League game against Bosnia & Herzegovina, manager Gică Hagi excluded Dragusin from the squad. This has brought about some concerns in the camp of the Tottenham loanee.
Manea spoke to DigiSport about the situation, making it clear that the decision may not be right. He also noted that Hagi was talented as a player but his abilities as manager are questionable.
“When Mr. Hagi was a footballer, I wouldn’t have rotated him, because I didn’t have anyone to play with.”
“An undeniable value, without him we would be dead. He is my idol as a footballer, but as a coach we also have to understand what he wants.”
Manea suggested players these days can play three games a week comfortably. His client is used to that from his time at Tottenham.
“In England, for example, they play every 3 days. In the Championship they play at an infernal pace. These players are not 30 years old. Can’t they play 3-4 matches in 10 days?”
“Mr. Hagi knows better, let’s hope it turns out well. I would have used Radu in all the matches, if he was physically available. He needs matches. I don’t think he’s tired.”
He also expressed belief that Romania don’t have players of Dragusin’s quality if he was dropped.
“The rotation would be sensational if we had players of the same value.”
“We hope that the opponents will use the same, another team. Maybe he thought that we can beat Bosnia with this squad and focus on the ones with Poland and Sweden, which are two more difficult opponents.”
Spurs glad to be away
Even during the January transfer window, Manea had gone public with the desire to seek a transfer. That didn’t help Tottenham, as their stance over a deal was exposed.
This was also true during Dragusin’s time at Genoa and even during his younger days at Juventus. Directly or indirectly, this doesn’t help the player, especially if he is going through a rough patch.
Tottenham should be glad they are away from all this and would hope that his permanent transfer goes through in the summer. For now, Manea is not helping the national team either.
