Antonio Nusa

[Sandro30]

I always wanted us to be one of those teams that cherry picks the best players from around Europe before they move to established teams. The amount of time many of us fans looked longingly at the likes of BVB, a team not too dissimilar to us, and the way they did their recruiting. I honestly never thought I’d actually see it happen. Obviously there’s still no guarantee that it will transpire but offering €30 mil for an 18 year old means you are very much committed to the idea. That alone is a big shift from the club. And a very exciting one at that.

I can’t say loads as I nearly lost one of my real good friends over what I posted last spring but this was always the plan from the top down moving forward, long before the decision to appoint Ange came to fruition. We’d accepted that we couldn’t buy from the very top table and that we needed to be the go to destination for elite young players again. Unfortunately we lost our way since Dele really and it was a big, conscious effort for the club to get it right again.

With Ange showing all the right signs and what’s going on with football regulations, it’s 100% the right time to pull the trigger and go and get these players to potentially build a dynasty.

 

[rossdapep]

I can’t say loads as I nearly lost one of my real good friends over what I posted last spring but this was always the plan from the top down moving forward, long before the decision to appoint Ange came to fruition. We’d accepted that we couldn’t buy from the very top table and that we needed to be the go to destination for elite young players again. Unfortunately we lost our way since Dele really and it was a big, conscious effort for the club to get it right again.

With Ange showing all the right signs and what’s going on with football regulations, it’s 100% the right time to pull the trigger and go and get these players to potentially build a dynasty.

Yeah it is and the big/key difference in doing that to what Chelsea are doing is that we have already laid the core squad down and Ange gets a say in the character that comes into the club.

Hopefully in a couple of years time we will be a shining example of how you build a young successful team and Chelsea will be a shining example of how you can get it wrong.

 

[mdharris]

So Antonio Nusa in my opinion is one of the most exciting WF in European football in his age bracket, if not THE most. He is certainly the only one I can think of that is not attached to a bigger club such as Arda Guller (Rail Madrid), Bynoe-Gittens (BVB) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) being amongst the more high profile ones. On a side note, im really impressed with the new cop or Turkish youngsters coming through, in few years they could have a very good team if they develop obv. Yildiz in particular has impressed me a lot recently and I'd strongly suggest those of you who like to follow youth prospects to give him a watch.

Anyway on to Nusa. So Brugge picked him up off Stabaek for €3 mil. Why did they buy him? Well because at tender age of 16 he already 6 senior starts at LW and a further 5 sub appearances scoring 3 goals including one against Brodo/Glimt. Bellow you can see your standard youtube highlights video of Nusa at 16 playing for Stabaek...



From a young age he was already very impressive. So in the summer of 21 he joined Brugge who had just won the Jupiler Pro League. His first season in Belgium he only featured briefly for the senior team making just 3 appearances however he did grab a goal after coming on as a sub in 87 min against Union. Brugge also won the league that season. The 22/23 season is when he started to feature more heavily for Brugge. when they first started to play him it was at RW rather then LW. It was around 22 when Brugge started to loose their grip on the League and started going through a period of upheaval after winning the league 3 times in a row. They hired and fired Scott Parker (he lasted 12 games) and as I mentioned are currently sitting 5th in the league which is of great disappointment to club. In Nusa's short time there he has already had something like 5 or 6 senior team managers (i need to double check that but im fairly sure its around that number). But despite that upheaval he has developed and developed very well. But when asked why Nusa's numbers aren't better I think this constant changing of ideas does not help a 17/18 year old.

Ronny Delia, the current manager, tends to favour a classic 4231. They tend to move the ball up the pitch quickly and are always looking for a counter. Nusa in his system, in the games ive watched at least, is often given quite a bit of freedom. As the full backs tend to go for an overlap Nusa will often drift inside with Meijer providing the width. It's not unusual for Nusa to almost move into the position of an AM at times, likewise he will often look to get into the box and for a goalscoring opportunity. I've compared him to Soulé in the past, another player I really like, and there is certainly cross over in regards to movement and positions the players take up. Both players like to feel the ball at their feet and play a large role in the development of a game. Whilst Nusa has incredible versatility and can play across the fron line he is primarily a LW. If you look at the heat map from the beginning of the season you can see he still spends most of his time sitting out on the wing but you can see that he likes to cut in rather then go to the byline, again fairly normal behaviour for a team that plays overlapping FB, and I would hazard a guess that if you found one from later in this season it would be more varied.

View attachment 136812

In regards to skill set Nusa, forr an 18 year old, he has an abundance of natural talent. I mean he looked special at 16 and has continued to impress since his senior team debut. He is a fantastic dribbler, his balance is exceptional and he is excellent at catching a defender off balance by swiftly moving the ball in the opposite direction. It’s not just his dribbling that is impressive but he actually has really good vision. He seems to always have a clear image of the pitch and his teammates movements. Much like his finishing, that i will mention bellow, he needs to work on the weight of his passing at times as often he will see something but not quite pull it off but the understanding is there. On a defensive side of things he is perfect for Ange, he track backs, tackles and works hard for the team. Also as mentioned Nusa is extremely versatile and can very comfortably play on the right. He is decent with his left foot but not anywhere near Rowe who we were also looking at. Still i'd have no qualms about starting him RW for a few matches even if he will certainly give his best LW. He has also played CF.

In regards to weakness he does have some. His finishing needs work. He actually has decent shooting technique when he settles himself but it needs refining and sometimes he can just put too much power on his efforts rather then taking a beat and picking a spot. Physicality is a big one, and I can imagine that setting off alarm bells for many people reading this. Yes its true he is slight and yes he can be bullied off the ball quite easily at times... que the Gil comparisons. Interestingly Gil was also one of the leading dribblers in La liga when we bought him if I remember correctly. Statistically he was excellent on the ball so I can understand why some would be worried with Nusa at first glance. Big difference is Nusa's acceleration plus ability to cut and manipulate the ball at speed. Nusa isn't that fast, i mean he is quick (hes certainly not slow) just not super fast but he does have great acceleration, balance and very quick feet so that helps a lot when running with the ball. Also Gil has a very different style of dribbling which is less nuanced and more direct. Nusa in general has more flair, using a roll over to gain an angle. He will need to bulk up but already I think he'd be in a better place to deal with a more physical defence.

In general tho its good to remember he is only 18 and still has a lot of physical developing ahead of him. That goes for his ability as well. IMO, as I said at the start, he has all the tools to become one of the best WF in the world but he will need time and help getting their. I don't have the stats too hand and in all honesty i can't be bothered to search for them now, ill leave that to @Nick-TopSpursMan, but he really is up their with the best in his age group on paper as well. IF we were to get him then we would have to do what we can to aid his development. Part of me wonders if it might even be wiser to loan him out next season as well as this one. But in general it would be a phenomenal signing and one of the most exciting youth players we would have brought to this club in years when considering where he already is at 18 in his development.

I probably forgot some info and im by no means an expert but hopefully this will give you a basic outline of who he is.

This is excellent. Well written GH.

Would be great to get posts like these featured somewhere on the site, perhaps a SC OpEd section featured on the front page.

 

[HNIM]

He could be the crown jewel if he moves up to it . Sarr destiny radu Micky nusa Brennan just need to find that st to
Complement it .

You forgot Vuskovic.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I can’t say loads as I nearly lost one of my real good friends over what I posted last spring but this was always the plan from the top down moving forward, long before the decision to appoint Ange came to fruition. We’d accepted that we couldn’t buy from the very top table and that we needed to be the go to destination for elite young players again. Unfortunately we lost our way since Dele really and it was a big, conscious effort for the club to get it right again.

With Ange showing all the right signs and what’s going on with football regulations, it’s 100% the right time to pull the trigger and go and get these players to potentially build a dynasty.

Tbh if we do it right then this strategy is better long term financially but also it’s more exciting football wise bringing in lots of young talents and developing them.

We lost our way with Jose & Conte in the managerial fit but also in our player recruitment profile as a result.

For me one of our most fun times was early ENIC days when we had Martin Jol and had build up that core young British spine of the squad : Robinson, King, Dawson, Carrick, Lennon, Jenas, Defoe etc

Now we are doing a similar thing but with a mix of young British and European talent : Vicario, Porro. Dragusin, Udogie, Sarr, Nusa?????, Veliz etc etc

Sprinkle in some ready to go signings like Maddison, Werner etc and it’s a really exciting mix which could lead us to glory.

Very very excited by this link from what those on here and in football circles seem to be saying about him from what I’ve seen, (personally I’ve not seen him play but the hype seems big), fingers and toes crossed.

Would be a big coup and also seems like excellent succession planning for Son.

 

[Finchyid]

Oh that’s a shame if it happens. Figured we might extend his contract for a an extra season considering he’s still putting up the numbers.

Will be 33, will have done 10 years here. I would say he would move on sadly

this deal sounds like we have a plan

 

[Disco]

Well this is all unexpected and exciting

 

[arunspurs]

I was aware of his name, but never followed his career before.

I thought he would have been playing consistently already.Seems he barely played 1000 minutes in league football. Most of his end game time & end product is coming from national team games.

So, loan back to Brugge is good for his development, as long as they commit to play him.

How much ever talented he may be, he still needs game time to develop.Belgian to Premier league would be huge jump for a 18 yr old. If & when we buy him and get him in summer, I hope the expecation is kept to minimum

 

[Steffen]

Have I told you recently that I love you, @What Lies Beneath

 

[GioW]

You'd expect Romano etc to jump on this soon if it's close...

 

[tom4s]

omfg. I didnt really expect anything exciting beyond Radu to happen this window.

 

[GutBucket]

Even if he flops we should do signings like this every year or so. One 18 year old foreign player who will become HG and we could use some 15 year old talents who will be club trained. We will be CL regulars with Ange if we can stay healthy.

 

[nedley]

omfg. I didnt really expect anything exciting beyond Radu to happen this window.

This is shaping up to be the 9/10 out of 10 window I was hoping for...

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Never seen him play but I am happy if you are!

I think you will really like him. Not the finished article and I hope fans keep that in mind when he joins. He needs work. I mean he will only have just turned 19 come summer. But his natural talent is special. I do wonder if we wouldn’t possibly look to loan him out next season as well but Ange might want to work with him.

 

[mark87]

Sorry, not sure if this guy is credible or not? I'll delete if he's a WUM

 

[Ghost Hardware]

I was aware of his name, but never followed his career before.

I thought he would have been playing consistently already.Seems he barely played 1000 minutes in league football. Most of his end game time & end product is coming from national team games.

So, loan back to Brugge is good for his development, as long as they commit to play him.

How much ever talented he may be, he still needs game time to develop.Belgian to Premier league would be huge jump for a 18 yr old. If & when we buy him and get him in summer, I hope the expecation is kept to minimum

Worth keeping in mind that this season he had two back injuries that has somewhat disrupted his campaign. In total he missed 8 games and obviously there was the time spent getting back up to speed once fit again. Aside from that he’s an important part of their team ether as a starter or sun and there is a reason they don’t want him leaving this window.

But like you say he’s still very young so it’s vitally important we don’t overhype his current level and get disappointed when he doesn’t turn out to be Messi mk2 at only 19.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

That is indeed correct: #ClubBrugge is negotiating with #THFC about a transfer of Antonio Nusa. See @nieuwsbladsport .

 

[Pekoni]

Sorry, not sure if this guy is credible or not? I'll delete if he's a WUM

Yeah he's a BS merchant.

 

[mark87]

 

[sidford]

This is the athletic article

Tottenham in talks with Club Bruges over Nusa deal

Tottenham and Club Bruges are in talks over a deal for 18-year-old winger Antonio Nusa. Bruges are seeking €30million for Nusa and a guarantee he remains with the Belgian club for the remainder of the 2023-24 season as part of the deal. Nusa was the subject of interest from Chelsea last summer...

theathletic.com

Tottenham and Club Brugge are in talks over a deal for 18-year-old winger Antonio Nusa.

Brugge are seeking €30million for Nusa and a guarantee he remains with the Belgian club for the remainder of the 2023-24 season as part of the deal.

Nusa was the subject of interest from Chelsea last summer, with the Premier League club making an approach.

He signed a new contract in April that runs until the summer of 2027.

Tottenham have been in the market to strengthen in forward areas, primarily targeting someone to play either off the left or through the middle. They have already signed Timo Werner on loan this month.

Nusa, a Norwegian international who plays off the left and likes to take on his man, joined Brugge from Stabaek in 2021 and has three goals and three assists in 26 appearances in all competitions this season.