Radu Drăgușin

Radu Drăgușin's 2024/25 season was cruelly ended early by a serious knee injury in late January.

The Romania international defender played in 24 consecutive matches between the end of October and our final game of the UEL league phase against Elfsborg on 30 January, when he fell awkwardly and suffered an ACL injury that ended his campaign.

Up to then, he'd featured 28 times in all competitions and played in seven of our eight league phase matches in the UEL - he was there in Bilbao to collect his medal and lift the trophy!

Radu joined us from Serie A side Genoa in January, 2024. Born in the Romanian capital of Bucharest, the centre-back made his debut for us off the bench in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in January, 2024 and his full debut at Fulham in March, 2024. He made nine appearances in the Premier League, starting four.

Radu spent his early years with local sides Sportul Studentesc and Regal Sport Bucuresti before he made the move to Italy in 2018 to join Juventus.

Arriving at the Old Lady as a 16-year-old, Radu quickly advanced through the youth teams in Turin, appearing for their Under-23 side – who compete in Serie C – at the age of 17 before making his professional and European debut as an 18-year-old in December, 2020, with a substitute appearance in Juve’s 3-0 UEFA Champions League group stage win over Dynamo Kyiv – a game in which he played alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski. His Serie A debut followed soon after as he made a late cameo appearance against Genoa later that month.

Making four first-team appearances that debut campaign, he joined fellow Serie A side Sampdoria on loan ahead of the 2021/22 season, where he played 15 games before he signed for US Salernitana 1919 at the start of 2022, whom he helped survive relegation from Serie A in their first season back in the Italian top flight since 1999.

He enjoyed a highly successful loan move to then Serie B side Genoa during the 2022/23 campaign as he played all bar 45 minutes of their league season, and scored his first four professional goals, as the Italian side secured an instant return to Serie A, finishing second to Frosinone to secure promotion. Midway through the season, the Griffin moved to make Radu’s switch permanent, and he continued to flourish in Liguria having played every minute of the 2023/24 campaign up until his transfer, scoring twice, as Genoa enjoyed an encouraging start to life back in the top flight.

Internationally, after progressing through Romania’s youth ranks, the 21-year-old received his first call-up for the senior side in March, 2022, and made his debut that same month in a friendly clash with Gus Poyet’s Greece, playing alongside Vlad Chiriches at the heart of defence. At the end of 2024/25, Radu had 27 full caps to his name.