‘Exactly What I Told Him’ – Agent Lifts Lid On Inspiring Message He Gave Tottenham Loan Star | OneFootball

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Radu Dragusin’s agent Florin Manea has revealed how he inspired the Tottenham Hotspur defender after his difficult start at Fiorentina by pointing out that he played in England.

Spurs signed the 24-year-old Romanian centre-back from Genoa in the winter of 2024 and the player rejected the chance to sign for Bayern Munich to join the London giants.

However, Dragusin failed to establish himself as a regular in Tottenham’s first-team, with a serious knee injury not helping, and last season made only ten appearances in the Premier League for the London giants.

The writing was on the wall for Dragusin at Tottenham, becoming clearer when Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke joined, and he decided to join Fiorentina on loan with an obligation to buy under certain conditions.

Dragusin has started all four games for Fiorentina so far this season and his performance came under heavy criticism from former Romanian star Adrian Mutu after their 3-0 loss against Frosinone last month.

His agent, however, does not think Mutu’s criticism was harsh at all and added that he himself was not happy with the centre-back’s performance against Frosinone, which he did not hide from the player.

Manea revealed that to inspire Dragusin, he reminded the player of his time at England with Spurs and believes that the player was lacking in confidence after spending so much time on the sidelines with Tottenham.

He also believes that the 24-year-old’s performance since the Frosinone game has improved, as it was clearly visible against Torino and Venezia.

“I had discussions with him after the match against Frosinone, which I did not like”, Manea told Romanian outlet Digisport (via Firenze Viola).

“I saw that Adrian Mutu thought the same way I did. 

“Radu and I always talk and make adjustments along the way. He played well against Torino, and now [at the weekend against Venezia] even better.

“Adrian Mutu’s statement was not inappropriate at all. 

“It is exactly what I told him: ‘Hey, you are Radu Dragusin! You have played in England.’ 

“However, it is normal, after a year in that [fringe player] role, to lose confidence. 

“He is not a robot; he is a human being too. 

“I reminded him of his value and told him never to forget it.”

Fiorentina’s sporting director Fabio Paratici, who knew Dragusin during his days with the north London outfit, brought in the defender to Italy.

Fiorentina agreed to an obligation clause which suggests that in the event of Dragusin making 22 appearances for La Viola the move will become permanent.