Dragusin excited about Tottenham's prospects after spurning Bayern

Simon Peach
Press Association
Radu Dragusin made his Tottenham debut at Manchester United
Radu Dragusin made his Tottenham debut at Manchester United

Tottenham new boy Radu Dragusin admits he turned down Bayern Munich to join Ange Postecoglou's Premier League side.

Dragusin signed a six-and-a-half-year deal at Spurs after rejecting the Bundesliga outfit's advances in a move that could eventually see Genoa receive up to £25million.

Asked if it was correct he had spurned Bayern, the 21-year-old said: "Yes, that is right. I chose Tottenham because I felt it was the right step for me and I had a really good conversation with the coach.

"I saw they wanted me from a long time ago, like one month before the transfer window, so I thought this is the right choice for me.

"I really believe in this team and that it is a good environment for me to continue my career and to progress in this incredible stadium.

"My dream was to play in the Premier League, so that was part of it. The sky is the limit. We hope we will be as high as possible in the league and we can then see from there."

Dragusin says he likes "the physicality, intensity, speed and aggression" of the Premier League and is proud to be the fourth Romanian to represent Spurs.

He knows there is competition at centre-back from the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven but believes that "can make each other progress and grow".

There is certainly no chance of Dragusin being overawed by the challenge, having earned his big-money move to Tottenham after taking a step back by leaving Juventus. 

The defender moved to Turin aged 16 and went on to make four first-team appearances, before being farmed out to Sampdoria, Salernitana and then Genoa on loan in Serie B before joining permanently.

He said: "I have believed in myself since the beginning and I wanted to play football.

"I understand there are a lot of sacrifices to be made but this is my dream and I won't stop until I reach the highest level possible in my career."

Tags

Tottenham HotspurRadu DragusinPremier LeagueBayern MunichBundesliga