The Tottenham star who has already given Thomas Frank a headache

Luka Vuskovic enjoyed a dream debut at Reading, almost two years after joining Spurs

Luka Vuskovic has had a long time to envision his Tottenham Hotspur debut, and when it finally arrived, it went better than he ever could have imagined.

The 18-year-old defender came on at half-time of Tottenham’s win against Reading in Thomas Frank’s first pre-season match in charge, with the score 0-0.

Within nine minutes of his introduction, Vuskovic had set up Will Lankshear for the game’s first goal with a flick-on from a corner and scored the second and final one himself with a clinical left-footed strike.

It is fair to say that the Croatia international made a strong first impression.

Spurs have had to be patient with Vuskovic, who has only recently been able to report for duty at Hotspur Way, despite joining from Hajduk Split in September 2023.

Vuskovic has spent the past 18 months out on loan, spending half a season with Radomiak in Poland and a full campaign at Belgian side Westerlo, with whom the club has a collaborative partnership.
Why hasn’t Vuskovic played for Spurs until now?

Brexit red tape was a significant factor in his delayed start, with players outside the European Union unable to join Premier League clubs until after they have turned 18.

Vuskovic, who earned his first senior cap last month, only reached that milestone in February.

The time away has evidently been good for Vuskovic. He was a revelation in Belgium, scoring seven goals and registering three assists in 36 league games, learning his craft and making mistakes in a strong league without the same spotlight glare as the “Top Five” divisions.

Vuskovic has clearly been taking his English lessons seriously, too. “I’m very happy for those stats and I’m happier that we won the game with a clean sheet, and we just need to continue to build on this,” he said afterwards.

“Everything is perfect. The club is behind me, the players, the staff, the coach, everyone is helping me a lot and I’m really happy.”

He added that playing alongside Micky van de Ven was “a really amazing experience,” and with rumours swirling over Cristian Romero, perhaps that duo could be the axis that Tottenham build around in the long term.

Although Frank praised Romero for “setting the standards” in training, he stopped short of confirming that he will be at Spurs next season, although the expectation currently is that he will stay.
How are Tottenham looking in terms of squad depth?

Still, it is clear that Tottenham are planning for the future by stockpiling their central defensive reserves with talent. Ben Davies (33), Romero (27) and Kevin Danso (26) are the elder statesmen; beyond them are five aged 24 or under in Van de Ven (24), Radu Dragusin (23), new signing Kota Takai (20), Ashley Phillips (20) and Vuskovic (18).

It seems illogical to say that a team that has shipped 126 goals in the past two Premier League seasons has an abundance of talent at centre-back, but Spurs certainly have rich depth in that position.

There is plenty for Frank and his coaching staff to work with, and it will be interesting to see who they decide to keep for the upcoming campaign.
Soccer Football – Pre-Season Friendly – Reading v Tottenham Hotspur – Select Car Leasing Stadium, Reading, Britain – July 19, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero during the warm up before the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
Cristian Romero has been linked with an exit (Photo: Reuters)

Crippling as Tottenham’s injury woes were last season, it is unlikely all eight central defenders will still be at the club by the end of the summer, even given Frank’s public desire to compete on multiple fronts.

One or two of the younger ones may need to go out on loan to play consistently and continue their development.

As the most junior, Vuskovic would be an obvious candidate to go out again with newly-promoted Bundesliga side Hamburg, where older brother Mario plays, linked, but he has certainly given his manager something to think about.

“Luka deserves the praise as well,” Frank said. “[It was] A great header. He showed his physicality and his composure on the ball. He’s not getting stressed when opponents get close. And what a strike.”

Danso, who started the first half alongside Romero, has also been impressed.

“He’s amazing, young, lots of confidence and you can just see his presence on the pitch. I think it’s a good thing today that he’s got his goal and assist,” he said.
Where can he help his side improve?

Vuskovic’s desire to attack the ball from set-pieces in both boxes and proficiency at scoring from them will please Frank.

Brentford ranked fifth in the Premier League for set-piece goals (13) last season and top for set-piece goals conceded (two) in 2024-25.

“No doubt set-pieces are very important. That’s another phase of a football match that you have to nail if you want to win it,” Frank said, when asked by The i Paper whether addressing Spurs’ issues from set-plays is a priority in pre-season.

“It’s a key thing. If you want to be a good team you need to be good in all phases, so that is an area that we will try and improve.”

Vuskovic is an asset in that area, is strong in duels and drives the ball out from the back. On paper, he is a perfect Frank centre-back. Continue to excel over the next few weeks and he may play himself into the Dane’s plans quicker than expected.