Tottenham loan star who can be ‘better than Cristian Romero’ is dominating his league
Tottenham have a player out on loan who is quickly blossoming into one of the most exciting young talents in his position.
Spurs have enjoyed a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign, losing just once in the Premier League.
Only Arsenal and Liverpool have scored more goals this season, and Thomas Frank’s appointment as Tottenham manager this summer looks like an inspired choice.
And despite the strong form of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, Spurs’ backline looks set to receive a major boost in the summer when a young star returns from his loan.
Luka Vuskovic shows off aerial dominance on loan at Hamburg
Tottenham signed Luka Vuskovic in 2023, but the young Croatia international was only able to join up with the North London outfit this summer after turning 18 in February.
The former Dinamo Zagreb defender impressed during pre-season, scoring and assisting in a 2-0 win over Reading in July.
However, with Romero and Van de Ven as the first-choice duo, the decision was taken to send Vuskovic out on loan, and the 18-year-old joined Hamburg.
Since linking up with the Bundesliga side, the hulking centre-back has quickly become one of the first names on Merlin Polzin’s team sheet.
And Vuskovic’s latest performance against Union Berlin gave him a chance to showcase his impressive aerial abilities, winning 18 of his 20 duels in the air, something that no player has done in Germany’s top flight in the last decade.
Vuskovic can become ‘better than Cristian Romero’ at Spurs
Romero was linked with a move to Atletico Madrid in the summer, and whilst he has committed his future to Tottenham, there remains concerns about his fitness.
The defender missed 27 games due to injury in the 2024-25 campaign, whilst his centre-back partner Van de Ven also spent a prolonged period on the treatment table.
Former Tottenham manager Martin Jol spoke to football.london about Spurs’ options at the heart of their defence, saying: “Romero could go anywhere but you feel like if he plays for a while at his top level, he will get injured.
“Romero is a good, decent defender, but I will tell you one thing, the guy they sent to Hamburg now – Luka Vuskovic – will be better.”
Whether that prediction will come true, only time can tell, but Tottenham can feel assured following Vuskovic’s recent performances that their young defender is on the right track and developing exceptionally well.