Almost every single player in the Tottenham Hotspur squad has had a role to play this season, with Ange Postecoglou putting trust in each individual to perform.
When looking at the current Spurs side, almost all of the players will stay with the Australian as the club begins their new era, which just shows how impressive their start to the rebuild has been.
All of the summer incomings have adapted instantly, while the seasoned squad members have also stepped up, helping the side be in a brilliant position to achieve Champions League football.
But there’s one player in particular who deserves a lot of credit for his start to life in England, with his performances causing his market value to explode.
What Spurs paid for Destiny Udogie
During the 2021/22 Serie A campaign, Destiny Udogie announced himself to Italy as one of the most talented prospects in the country.
Playing as a left-wing back with the freedom to express himself, the confident teenager starred in his first real campaign, showcasing his ability to affect the game in the final third with five goals and three assists in 35 matches.
After his breakthrough season, plenty of clubs across Europe were interested in signing the Italian, even Manchester City, but it was Spurs who eventually got the deal done, spending £15m on Udogie in the summer of 2022.
However, he didn’t join the Lilywhites instantly, instead returning to Udinese on a season-long loan, where he continued to impress, but he’s only gone to another level under Postecoglou this season.
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Going into the campaign, the “quality” defender, as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, was always going to be the first-choice left back.
Udogie had proven to be more than capable of performing amongst the very best in Italy, and despite being just 21 years of age, he was definitely more than ready to be handed an opportunity to shine.
Luckily, the defender has taken it with both hands, becoming one of Spurs’ most reliable and consistent players across his 27 Premier League starts.
Over these matches, Udogie has impressed at both ends of the field, picking up five goal contributions and making 2.5 tackles per game, with his well-rounded profile making his value increase dramatically.
Destiny Udogie
£68m
Dejan Kulusevski
£68m
Pedro Porro
£51m
Cristian Romero
£51m
Brennan Johnson
£51m
Udogie is now the joint-highest valued player in the entire Spurs squad alongside Dejan Kulusevski, with an estimated worth of £68m.
This also makes him the most valuable left back in the entire Premier League and the joint-highest valued across all of Europe’s top five leagues, as per CIES' Football Observatory.
Incredibly, his value is even greater than both James Maddison’s (£34m) and Heung-min Son’s (£26m) combined, who have 11 and 24 league goal contributions between them, respectively, this campaign, which just further highlights how special Udogie truly is.
Spurs certainly hit the jackpot by signing Udogie for such a cheap fee, but what’s arguably just as impressive is their management of the youngster, with last season’s loan at Udinese playing a vital role in his progress this season.
