Ange Postecoglou has revealed Radu Dragusin was Tottenham's "number one priority" for the January transfer window and says the club now has "three top centre-backs" after signing the Romanian.
Dragusin joined Spurs from Genoa on Thursday in a deal worth up to €30million, with Djed Spence going the other way on loan for the rest of the season.
The 21-year-old will be in the squad for Sunday's visit to Manchester United, provided Spurs receive international clearance and a work permit in time.
"We’ve been working on the centre-back position pretty much since the summer window closed and there's been a whole list of players we worked through methodically," Postecoglou said.
"A lot of that work has been done by the scouting department and Johan [Lange, technical director] came in and [chief scout] Rob Mackenzie and the team started working into further detail.
"They presented it to me probably six weeks ago. From that onwards, Radu was always on the radar as one of the players we thought would be a good option for us. Then it was about getting as much information on him as a player and a person.
"We spoke to as many people about him as possible and had him scouted again and I’ve been following him since we highlighted him. In my mind once we got down to the real detail, I thought he was the best option for us.
"Before the window opened we made the decision that Radu would be our number one priority. I like his defensive attributes, his physical attributes, I there's still a lot of growth in him.
"A lot of improvement in him. He's only 21, only had one year in Serie A, not even a full year and he fits the profile of the kind of players we want here."
Bayern Munich made a late push to hijack the deal after also agreeing a fee with Genoa but Dragusin opted to join Spurs over the Bundesliga champions.
Asked what he had said to the defender to persuade him, Postecoglou said: "I don't try to sell anything. It's just a conversation.
"With Timo [Werner] too and any player I've signed, it's just a conversation about what I believe and my thoughts on them as players, where I see them fitting in.
"And trying to create a picture in their heads about what they'll encounter when they get here and what they're trying to build and the rest is up to them. Part of the key for me is they want to come to this football club. I'm not going to bend their arm or try to convince them. Part of it is them getting excited about having to come to us.
"I think he's a good fit for us from a football perspective. He certainly has some great attributes as a young player and from my chats with him as a person he's come in with the right motivations about why he wants to take the next step and why Tottenham is the right club for him.
"I think he'll fit in really well with the group at the moment. Quite a few of them are in the same sort of age bracket. And part of that is hopefully we can build a team that grows together and I'm sure he'll be a good fit for that."
Spurs' first-choice centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have both returned to full training and are in contention to start against United but Postecoglou says there will be plenty of opportunities for Dragusin, and believes he will adapt from Genoa's low block to a high defensive line.
"The reality is I have had zero centre-backs for two positions for most of this year so I've had to play full-backs in there," Postecoglou said.
"The reason we brought Radu in is because it's not just injuries, there will be certain games we want to change things and we need more than two top centre-backs.
"Bringing Radu in gives us that opportunity now to have three top centre-backs.
🎙️ “I feel like it’s the right step. The decision was inside my heart.”
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 11, 2024
Radu Dragusin on joining Spurs 🤍 pic.twitter.com/Ddo2A1viNx
"Different games will call for different things and it will allow us to manage the playing time of those players so we don't get as many injuries as we've had.
"He will have the same opportunities as everyone else, but also if Radu just wanted to play, he would have stayed at Genoa. He has come to a big club and when you go to a big club, you know you have to compete.
"That's part of your development and even for the Romanian national team, Radu being at a big club and competing against a World Cup winner in Romero and Micky van de Ven, fast becoming one of the best defenders in space, is exactly where Radu needs to be and will benefit the national team.
"In terms of the different style, it was something I spoke to Radu about that we obviously play very differently for what he is used to and he liked that. He was attracted to that and is what he thinks he needs for the next stage of his career.
"Again, that was pleasing to me because it will be very different, but again he is a quick learner and already he is asking all the questions he needs to ask on what he needs to do to improve and I am sure he will do that."
