Spurs: Levy hit the jackpot on £15m Conte signing
One recent addition has seen his value rise significantly over the last 12 months or so
Following the dour end to last season that saw Tottenham Hotspur miss out on European qualification, it has thus far proven a fabulous start to life under new boss Ange Postecoglou, with the 58-year-old having lifted the mood following the sour departure of Antonio Conte earlier this year.
While a swift Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Fulham has been a notable low point, the Lilywhites remain firmly in the mix near the top of the table following an unbeaten start to the new Premier League campaign, picking up three successive wins heading into the international break.
The north Londoners notably overcame an early setback away to newly-promoted Burnley to put five past Vincent Kompany’s struggling outfit, with a Heung-min Son-inspired side powering to a dominant victory despite conceding inside the first four minutes at Turf Moor.
Not only was that performance an impressive outing for hat-trick hero Son, but it also saw promising defender Destiny Udogie once again catch the eye from his left-back berth, with chairman Daniel Levy likely reaping the rewards of that acquisition such has been the 20-year-old’s impact so far this term.
How much did Tottenham sign Udogie for?
The Italy U21 international was initially snapped up during Conte’s time in charge back in the summer of 2022, albeit with the club ultimately opting to send the player back on loan to former club Udinese for the subsequent campaign.
That decision not to keep hold of the youngster – who commanded an initial fee of around £15m – last season may well have backfired as far as Tottenham are concerned, particularly with Ryan Sessegnon having been plagued by injury, while Ivan Perisic endured a mixed debut campaign, having been described as “awful” by writer Andrew Gaffney.
Amid those woes at N17, young Udogie, meanwhile, shone in Serie A last term after scoring three goals and providing four assists in 33 league outings from his wing-back berth, having been described as the “best left-back” in the division by teammate Lazar Samardzic.
While perhaps aided by another year performing in his homeland, there were likely to have been those of a Spurs persuasion who were chomping at the bit to see the 6 foot 2 ace in action in English football, with the player’s subsequent start under Postecoglou having ensured that he has proved worth the wait.
What is Udogie’s market value?
That stellar impact in recent weeks – which has already seen the Verona native record two assists from just four Premier League outings – has come at a time when the full-back’s market value is simply soaring, with it already looking as if Levy, Conte and former sporting director Fabio Paratici hit the jackpot by bringing him to the club last year.
As per CIES Football Observatory, the former Hellas Verona ace is now said to be worth as much as €40m (£34m) such has been his rise in recent times, with that representing a 126% increase in relation to the £15m figure that Spurs dished out.
Of course, having only just walked in the door it is highly unlikely that Postecoglou and co will be looking to cash in on the emerging sensation any time soon, yet it is interesting to note the potential immense profit that could be made if a sale was to occur over the coming years.
Perhaps more importantly in the short-term, however, such a soaring valuation simply points to the stunning run of form that Udogie is enjoying in his new surroundings, with footballJOE’s Hunter Godson having even gone as far as to suggest that the defender “gets into nearly every team in the world already”.
Why is Destiny Udogie worth that much?
Also described as “sickeningly good” by Godson, the dynamic starlet has taken to life in England like a duck to water, having instantly repaid the faith of his manager by contributing strongly to what has been a fine start to the new season collectively.
As previously noted, Udogie has already chalked up two assists as a marker of his attacking potential down the left flank, having notably teed up summer signing James Maddison for his stunning, curling effort from range against the Clarets.
A simple assist it may have been as the forward-thinking left-back merely supplied a short, incisive pass to the Englishman, it was the manner in which he had initially won back possession for his side that particularly caught the eye – winning eight of his nine ground duels on the day.
Also described as a ‘constant threat’ by 90min’s Graeme Bailey, Udogie proved a real nuisance for Burnley’s backline amid his desire to bomb forward, notably completing his solitary attempted dribble, while also winning two fouls for his side, as per Sofascore.
| Udogie’s game by numbers vs Burnley |
|---|
| 8/9 ground duels won |
| 93% pass accuracy |
| 1 key pass |
| 1 assist |
| 66 touches |
| 1/1 dribble attempts |
That ability to get involved in proceedings at both ends of the pitch is a testament to his quality and ability to swiftly adapt to a new league and a new system as part of a back four, with football.london’s Alasdair Gold writing that the wonderkid ‘makes it all look effortless despite the fact he’s just 20’.
It is not just the early weeks of the season that have seen the young “baller” – as hailed by teammate Micky van de Ven – enjoy a rise in valuation, with his form across the last year having been particularly impressive as a whole.
That is evidenced by the fact that the towering titan ranks in the top 12% among his European peers for assists per 90, while also ranking in the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons as a marker of his relentless attacking threat and dribbling prowess.
Those strengths seemingly put the Italian far beyond his positional rival, Ben Davies, with the experienced Welshman ranking in just the bottom 32% among his fellow full-backs for assists per 90, as well as in the bottom 25% and the bottom 14% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, respectively.
That should indicate that Davies has a tough job on his hands trying to regain his role at left-back, with Udogie seemingly a player whose standing in the game – and valuation – is only set to soar even higher over the coming months and years.
