Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a busy summer transfer window as they have brought in a host of new recruits to the club.
Fabio Paratici has bolstered Antonio Conte’s squad by bringing in Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Clement Lenglet, Richarlison, and Djed Spence.
They are reportedly closing in on another signing after agreeing a £15m fee with Udinese for left-back Destiny Udogie, who will spend the 2021/22 campaign back on loan in Italy.
By snapping up a deal to sign the young defender, Tottenham could finally find their long-term replacement for former left-back Danny Rose.
The England international played 213 matches for the club in all competitions before sealing a permanent move to Watford in 2021.
In that time, he made the PFA Team of the Year 2015 and 2017 for Spurs – suggesting that he was one of the best left-backs in the top-flight during the peak years of his career.
The club brought in Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid to take over at left-back but the Spaniard is yet to live up to Rose’s legacy. Conte is reportedly willing to offload the defender this summer, after two years at the club, and this proves that – in the manager’s mind – he has not been good enough to nail down the position.
Spurs could now be about to land the player with the potential to finally replace Rose in north London after agreeing a deal for Udogie.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him “tenacious” and his defensive statistics back that up. He made 1.8 tackles per game in the Serie A last term – more than Sergio Reguilon and Ben Davies managed in the Premier League in 2021/22.
In 35 league appearances – including 29 starts – the teenager averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.84. This was only 0.08 lower than Reguilon’s score and 0.04 lower than Davies’, which suggests that his performances are already at a similar level to theirs – despite only being 19.
Another full year of regular football for the gem – who “idolised Marcelo” growing up – could see him continue his development as he gains valuable experience at the top level and arrive at Tottenham next summer with the scope to break into the first-team.
His performances in Italy at such a young age highlight his potential at left-back as he has been able to put in solid displays whilst still learning the game.
He is a player Conte can work with on the training pitch in the years to come to help him reach his ceiling as a player. If Udogie can continue to kick on and up his performance levels as the years go on then he could become a better option than the likes of Reguilon and Davies – finally replacing Rose as the go-to left-back.
