It's ironic so much has been made about set-plays, long throws and the ugly side of the game in the Premier League this season when the one player who epitomises it, is out on loan in Germany.
Luka Vuskovic started out at Hajduk Split in Croatia, debuting at 15 years of age and became the club's youngest-ever goalscorer in a league match five days after his 16th birthday. It was a sign of things to come.
Spurs loanee Luka Vuskovic is a monster in the air
Luka, though, promises to hit the heights none of his predecessors could, and that was apparent from a very early age.
At 16, shortly after breaking into - and staying in - the Hajduk Split team, Vuskovic signed a pre-contract agreement at Spurs, with the two clubs agreeing a reported �11 million fee.
He was subsequently sent on loan to Poland's top flight, before a spell in Belgium during 2024/25, where he finished the campaign as KVC Westerlo's second-top scorer on seven goals, as a centre-half.
This year, Vuskovic is with newly-promoted Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga where he's playing regularly and impressing.
Of the 90 aerial duels he has contested so far this term, he has won a staggering 74, at the time of writing, according to data experts Opta. In the Premier League this season, the only player who comes close to matching Vuskovic's 82 per cent aerial success rate is Virgil van Dijk, winning 77 per cent of his.
Few players anywhere in the world come close to matching the big Croatian for the sheer volume of aerial duels contested, and even fewer boast a success rate as high as the 18-year-old's.
It's for that reason that the teenager is a huge threat when it comes to attacking set-pieces, scoring regularly wherever he's been. When set-piece coach Andreas Georgson joined Spurs' coaching team along with Thomas Frank at the beginning of the season, he must have been licking his lips at the prospect of working with Vuskovic in a year's time - if they're still in situ, of course.
However, describing Vuskovic exclusively as some gargantuan Balkan obelisk would do a disservice to his ability in other areas. While he is clunkier in possession than the Micky van de Vens of the world, he is, like most modern centre-halves, comfortable on the ball, passing and carrying out of danger. Even though his style and gait running with the ball aren't exactly silky smooth, good luck regaining possession off him.
Elite box defender, check; penalty area homing missile, check. Coming to a league near you? Also check.
DID YOU KNOW: Vuskovic's elder brother Mario is suspended from all football activity until November 2026 after testing positive for banned substance EPO while playing for Hamburg.
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