'I'm happy Brighton wanted me' - How Tottenham horribly misjudged Luka Vuskovic transfer

Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic said he's "fully satisfied" after swapping Tottenham for Brighton.

The Seagulls smashed their transfer record in the previous window to sign the 19-year-old for £50m from struggling Spurs.

Vuskovic - who never made a first team appearance at Tottenham - has impressed in the early stages of his Brighton career and aside from the last 10 minutes of the 5-0 win at Coventry, he has played every minute of every Albion match so far.

He scored six goals while on loan in the Bundesliga last term and opened his account for Brighton in the 1-1 home draw against Leeds United with a well taken header.

Vuskovic key for Brighton

Vuskovic's form has been key in Albion's fine start to the season that sees them third in the Premier League after five matches.

The former Hajduk Split man also impressed in Brighton's 3-2 Carabao Cup third round win at Manchester United and Albion's Uefa Conference League play-off win against Norwegian club Tromso.

Brighton fans have immediately taken to the new arrival, club captain Luke Dunk has heaped praise on his new defensive partner and Fabian Hurzeler is delighted and said he has surpassed expectations.

Vuskovic plays with a calm authority beyond his 19-years and has adapted well to different systems and different systems and playing partners. He has so far featured alongside Dunk, Olivier Boscagli and Pascal Struijk.

Many at Brighton feel he's already an upgrade on Jan Paul van Hecke, who moved in the opposite direction to Tottenham for around £52m.

Van Hecke was very good during his time at Brighton but so far his switch to Spurs has not gone to plan.

Tottenham plans in disarray

In fact very little at Tottenham has gone to plan so far with former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi seeing his team rock bottom after five matches.

Van Hecke has been part of De Zerbi's defence that has conceded eight goals so far, with only six other teams shipping more this term.

Tottenham spent big this summer and it may well click at some stage but so far it looks as though they horribly misjudged the Vuskovic transfer

“I wouldn’t go back to that too much," said Vuskovic via Sport Witness while on international duty with Croatia.

"I appreciate that Tottenham recognised me as a very young player, that they invested in me at the time and that together we found good solutions and clubs where I could play and develop.

“Coaches, directors, boards and sporting policies change at clubs, and it’s not for me to comment on their decisions.”

Vuskovic: Brighton have confidence in me

Brighton had apparently been tracking Vuskovic for quite some time and were relentless in their pursuit.

Vuskovic added: “I’m happy Brighton wanted me, that they saw me as part of their project and that they were then prepared to pay a very large amount of money for me.

"That shows me the great confidence the club has in me and I want to repay them in the best possible way.”

Tottenham paid £11m in 2025 to sign Vuskovic from Hajduk Split and prior to that he had loans in Poland with Radomiak Radom and Belgium with Westerlo.

It was last season at Hamburg where his talent in the German top flight saw his stock and transfer value increase dramatically. Financially, Vuskovic was a success for Tottenham but in terms of football, it's one they may well continue to regret.

“It’s difficult for me to answer that – it’s my path, so for me it’s normal,” he added.

“Of course I’m satisfied [at Brighton], especially because the club is doing really well.

“We’re playing excellent football, and I have full playing time and the confidence of the coach and my teammates, so I could hardly have imagined a better start.”

Vuskovic previously told Sussex World that he would like to play in the Spanish La Liga one day, so don’t be surprised to see him at Real Madrid in a few years. He really is that good.