Tottenham have been told to sell one of two first-team mega stars so that Spurs can unleash a “huge” talent on Premier League rivals next season.
Before any of that can be addressed, there is Sunday to worry about.
Nottingham Forest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a direct six-pointer that carries enormous weight at the wrong end of the table.
Spurs are 16th and Forest are 17th, separated by a single point. Win and Tudor’s side open up a four-point cushion that would give the whole club room to breathe. Lose, and the mini-revival built on a late Liverpool equaliser and a 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico counts for nothing in the league.
This is the one that matters.
But while the immediate crisis at Tottenham is entirely about Premier League survival, a longer-term question is quietly building in the background — and it centres on one of the most exciting young defenders in European football who has yet to kick a ball for the club.
Luka Vuskovic signed for Tottenham in 2025, two years after terms were initially agreed.
The 19-year-old has spent this season on loan at Hamburg in the Bundesliga, and what he has produced there has been nothing short of extraordinary for a centre-back still in his teens.
Five goals in 23 league appearances, nine chances created, has won almost 70 per cent of his ground duels and nearly 76 per cent of his aerial battles.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona are already said to be taking a close look at the ‘huge talent‘, and it is not hard to see why.
Tottenham told to sell Romero or van de Ven to unleash Vuskovic
Now, Spurs expert John Wenham, speaking to Tottenham News, is clear on one thing: the club have nothing to fear on that front.
Vuskovic is contracted at Spurs until 2030, and Wenham points out that only Yves Bissouma and Ben Davies are genuinely free agents this summer. The power in this situation, he says, sits firmly with the club.
But his more striking argument is what Spurs should do with that power.
Wenham believes Vuskovic’s talent is so exceptional that selling either Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven this summer would actually be the right call — not as a loss, but as a statement of intent.
“He’s so good, and the potential is so high that actually, you may consider selling one of Romero or van de Ven to accommodate a starting space for Vuskovic from next season,” Wenham said.
“I think the time is right for one of them to move on, not both. I think that would weaken us drastically, but one might have to be sold in order to facilitate Vuskovic having this platform to play.”
Crucially, Wenham frames it not just as a squad decision but as a message.
Selling one of the established first-team starters would demonstrate to Vuskovic and his camp that there is a genuine and immediate pathway at the club — something that would strengthen Spurs’ hand considerably when it comes to fending off Barcelona and Bayern.
Both Romero and van de Ven have been solid this season despite Spurs’ struggles.
Romero edges his Dutch partner on tackling output — 53 tackles to van de Ven’s 32 — while van de Ven leads in clearances and recoveries.
Either would command a significant fee, and either departure would free up a starting berth that Vuskovic, based on current form, looks more than ready to fill.
The question of which one to sell will divide opinion fiercely among supporters.
Romero is apparently destined to leave Spurs this summer, according to reports in Argentina, while van de Ven is said to be attracting major Premier League rival interest.
Losing either one of them would be softened by Vuskovic’s introduction to the first team, but that is a lot of pressure already on the youngster’s shoulders.
Igor Tudor gifted Tottenham injury boost ahead of Nottingham Forest as team news twist emerges
Spurs are set to have a mainstay available.