Signed for €14m
It was foretold that Luka Vuskovic would have a big career. Vuskovic’s brother Mario, who is currently banned for allegedly taking EPO, sees his five-year younger brother as the bigger talent. “It is true,” Mario said when asked whether his brother might have a higher ceiling. At the moment, it looks like the older of the Vuskovic brothers could be right. On Monday, Tottenham announced that they had signed the younger of the Vuskovic brothers.
Signing the center-back from Hajduk Split is considered an investment in the future. The 16-year-old will not move to London until he turns 18 in 2025. The Premier League side paid €14 million, which makes Vuskovic one of the most expensive U18 transfers in history.
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Vuskovic’s market value currently sits at €6m, which makes him one of the most valuable talents on the planet. In his age category, only Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (€25m) has a higher market value. Tottenham aside, PSG, Liverpool, Man City, and Bayern Munich were also interested in the right-footed defender. “There was significant interest from several clubs over the last few months,” Vuskovic said. “I just tried to keep my feet on the ground, train, and prepare myself for a new challenge.”
Before moving to Tottenham, Vuskovic will try to establish himself at Hajduk. Hajduk promoted Vuskovic to the first team squad in February, and he has featured 11 times and scored once, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history. Luka dedicated that goal to his brother Mario. Because while the younger Vuskovic is working on his career, Mario is on the sidelines watching.
The 15-times Croatian U21 national team was found guilty of doping in March and retroactively banned for two years from November 2022 onwards. The Hamburger SV defender has always denied that he has been guilty of doping and has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). According to a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the CAS will not hear the case until at least December.
Luka Vuskovic: Often compared to Josko Gvardiol
Whether Mario can fulfill his dream and play with Luka, therefore, remains up in the air. The doping ban is one factor, but Luka’s career is also more meteoric. The younger of the Vuskovic brothers shined in the UEFA Youth League last season, where he helped Hajduk reach the final against AZ Alkmaar (0-5). Hajduk defeated Man City, Borussia Dortmund, and Milan on the way to the final. Vuskovic played in six of the nine games and scored two goals and would score the winner in the first intermediate stage matchup against Shakhtar (1-0).
Not surprisingly, there were plenty of comparisons with Josko Gvardiol. Gvardiol joined RB Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb in 2021 in a deal that would eventually grow to €36.8m and to this day is the most expensive departure in the history of Croatia’s first division. But Croatia Transfermarkt Data Scout Stodra is quick to downplay the comparisons between Gvardiol and Vuskovic. “Vuskovic is a good or above average talent,” Stodra said. “Gvardiol was a monster when he was 15. Both in terms of his physical appearance but also from a football-playing standpoint. Gvardiol was also more variable than Vuskovic.”
Stodra, however, also pointed out that Vuskovic dominated his age group both nationally and internationally. “When you compare him with his age group, he definitely stands out,” Stodra said. “But at the youth level, he benefitted from his physicality and size. That physicality has been an advantage at the next level, but he also makes mistakes and still lacks experience. You can see that he has potential, but he didn’t blow me away the same way as Gvardiol did when he was the same age.” Stroda believes that the transfer is too early and that the fee paid might be a bit too high.
Vuskovic, in the meantime, is honored that a club like Tottenham has gone all out to sign him. “It is a great honor to see that a club like Tottenham has shown such a desire and put in so much effort to bring in a player of my age,” Vuskovic said. “This makes me proud, and it is certainly a motive for me to work even harder on my development and further progress in order to be as ready as possible for the moment when I will play for their first team.”
Area Manager UK Daniel Busch believes that Tottenham could be a good first step for Vuskovic. “The coaching change has been excellent for Tottenham,” Busch said. “Rather than focusing on short-term results, Tottenham are once again trying to play attractive football. Under Ange Postecoglou, the club wants to develop younger players like Destiny Udogie, Pape Matar Sarr, and Mickey van de Ven. Vuskovic could now be next in line.”
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