Tottenham: Luka Vuskovic explains why he rejected Manchester City to join Spurs | OneFootball

Young star defender only had eyes for Spurs despite Pep Guardiola interest

Luka Vuskovic has explained why it was an easy decision to reject Manchester City in favour of Tottenham.

The young centre-back agreed to join Spurs back in 2023 when still a 16-year-old, but had to wait until the summer of 2025 to join the squad.

Competition for his signature was fierce for a centre-back who stood over six feet tall in his mid-teens, and has since grown into a defender with an eye for goal.

Spurs won the race, and Vuskovic says the project laid out by the north London side was far more attractive than the one on offer at City.

"I think Tottenham was a perfect fit because they presented a great project," Vuskovic told Sport Klub.

"Manchester City has many, many, many young players. I didn’t want to be just a number. At Tottenham, they presented me as one of the top projects. And that really meant a lot to me at that moment. That was the deciding factor, let’s say."

He added: "The feeling was really great, I was overjoyed [to be joining Spurs]. My father called me, said that they were just waiting for my signature, that they really wanted me. They showed me the project. And I really liked it. I didn’t think much about it."

Asked if he would be tempted to join City in the future, Vuskovic said: "I honestly have no idea. I’m taking it one step at a time, feeling great right now, making good progress. And I hope it continues that way."

Spurs were keen to keep Vuskovic - who scored on his debut during pre-season - as part of their first-team squad this season, though would have been behind the likes of Cristian Romero, Mickey van de Ven and Kevin Danso in the pecking order, while the likes of Radu Dragusin is returning from fitness.

Vuskovic chose to go out on loan to play far more regularly, and has immediately becoming an integral player for Bundesliga side Hamburg. He has played every minute of all six league games so far, scoring one goal.