What a phenomenon! Loaned since 2023, he breaks transfer records

Luka Vuskovic might not be the most talked-about name in this transfer window, yet it's significant that at just 19, the Croatian center-back has become Brighton's most expensive signing.

The 54 million paid also represents Tottenham's fourth-highest transfer fee received, surpassed only by the likes of Harry Kane, Gareth Bale, and Kyle Walker. What's more, the Spurs included potential add-ons of 4.7 million in the deal and retained a 20 percent sell-on clause for any future transfer.

However, what truly captures attention is the journey the Croatian international has taken so far, a journey that also saw him make his World Cup debut this summer.

Tottenham has sold a player they signed in 2023, after Vuskovic broke the record for the youngest player ever to debut in the Croatian league at 16 years old... and who never even played a single game for the Spurs.

Officially, the transfer of the Hajduk Split academy product only materialized last summer, once the player reached legal age. However, in 2023, the club had already announced his signing until 2030, paying 11 million euros for his services.

Since then, the central defender was loaned to Polish side Radomiak Radom, then to Belgian club Westerlo, and last season he shone during his loan spell at Hamburg, where he scored six goals in 30 appearances. He was voted the second-best young player in the Bundesliga, only trailing Yan Diomande of Leipzig, and also scored the best goal of 2025 following an assist from Fábio Vieira.

Now, he's headed to a club that, just a few weeks ago, sold Van Hecke to Tottenham... for 60 million euros.

Time will tell who made the better deal when it comes to these central defenders.