Daniel Levy makes £32,600-a-week masterstroke as Tottenham tie left-back Destiny Udogie down until 2030
Tottenham have just tied left-back Destiny Udogie down until 2030, and the reported finances involved suggest the deal is a masterstroke by Daniel Levy.
Udogie has quickly become one of Spurs and Ange Postecoglou’s most important players since he made his Premier League debut just three months ago.
Still only 21 years old, the left-back has slotted seamlessly into Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham team and never was that more apparent than during his most recent outing for the club.
The north London side got back to winning ways against Newcastle United with a 4-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday 10 December, and Udogie proved to be pivotal in that win, opening the scoring for the hosts with his first goal for the club midway through the first half as he converted Son Heung-min’s cross from close range.
In addition to his goal, the defender highlighted his credentials going the other way, making two clearances, two tackles, and one interception while not being dribbled past once.
He was also strong in his duels, winning three of his four on the ground and one of the two he contested in the air, while he also completed 91 per cent of his passes, with two of those being key (Sofascore).
It was one of his most impressive performances in a Spurs shirt to date, and it seems fitting that just a couple of days after this fine display, his new deal is the talk of the town at Hotspur Way.
Spurs announced via their official X platform (Tuesday 12 December) that the Italy international had signed a new contract which keeps him at the club until the summer of 2030.
This is a smart bit of business by Levy, and a look at the finances involved suggests it is a fantastic deal for the club.
As reported by Italian news outlet CalcioMercato (12 December), one year after he was initially brought to the club before being sent back out on loan to his former side Udinese, Udogie “is finally showing off for president (Daniel) Levy”.
The report goes on to reveal that Udogie’s net salary is now worth somewhere in excess of £1.7million annually, which equates to just £32,600-per-week. While this is of course a lot of money, which could still rise with particular bonuses or clauses inserted in the deal, it is a rather modest wage for a promising player on a long-term contract with a so-called ‘top-six’ Premier League side.
While this is of course a net salary, and his gross earnings will be slightly higher, it is still pale in comparison to what some of his positional peers in the division are earning. As per Spotrac, Manchester United’s Luke Shaw and Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko are on an annual gross salary of £7.8million, while Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson is on a tidy £5.2million.
Across the next six and a half years, Udogie’s deal would be worth around £11million on his current wage, a steal compared to the cost it would take to sign a left-back of his quality to replace him if they were to lose the player as a result of his contract running down.
The long-term nature of the deal also offers Levy plenty of selling power should Udogie find himself wanting to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at some point over the next few years, and for that, the chairman deserves plenty of praise.
In other Tottenham news, one Under-21 player at the club must be next in line for a promotion to the first-team setup after what he did on Monday night.