Tottenham News Scout: How will Destiny Udogie fit in at Tottenham next season?
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome Matthew Chadder as our exclusive columnist for our ‘Spurs Scout’ features. Each week, he’ll be providing his expertise on researching players to give insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
Tottenham completed the signing of highly-rated left-back Destiny Udogie from Udinese last summer, before loaning him back to the Italian outfit for the 2022/23 season.
The North London Club purchased the promising young player for an initial £15 million, according to Sky Sports News (16 August).
He was immediately sent back on loan to Udinese where he spent last season and will now arrive at his new club this summer. The 20-year-old scored three goals and registered four assists in 32 appearances in the Serie A last season.
Tottenham News has been exploring how Udogie will fit in at the club.
The stats are very promising and will leave Tottenham fans feeling excited about the arrival of this talented young full-back, especially considering the current need for some quality in that left-back position.
According to stats provided by FBREF, Udogie is an attacking full-back with plenty of quality going forward. The Italian made 3.55 progressive carries per 90 last season, as well as 1.62 successful take-ons per 90.
This placed Udogie in the top ten percentile of both of these stats for players in his position across Europe’s big five leagues.
Udogie was also in the top fifteen percentile last season of full-backs in Europe for non-penalty goals scored.
While these stats demonstrate Udogie’s brilliance going forward, his defensive numbers are also very impressive.
The full-back made 2.41 tackles per 90 last season as well as 1.21 interceptions per 90.
One for today and the future
These numbers suggest Tottenham have stumbled across a gem for a very good price. At just £15 million, the early suggestions from his performances this season are that Spurs have got a steal.
Although just 20 years old, Udogie is already competing in the upper percentiles for players in his position across Europe and it will be interesting to see how that form translates into the Premier League and his new club.
In some ways, it is a shame for Udogie that he has arrived after Antonio Conte’s departure as the stats suggest he would be the perfect player to play in Conte’s preferred system. It will be interesting to see how the new manager, whoever that may be, integrates him into the team.
One thing is for certain, he is a big talent and the stats definitely show he can slot straight into the team. He and Pedro Porro could make a very exciting full-back pairing if utilised correctly. Something Spurs have been crying out for since the days of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose.
In other Tottenham news, these are three players who may be on their way out this summer, as Udogie arrives.