It took only seven games for Udinese to realise there was something special about Destiny Udogie, chief scout Andrea Carnevale tells Corriere dello Sport while confirming that the Serie A starlet ‘will go’ to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.
Eyebrows were raised back in 2021 when Udinese took a punt on a teenager who had played only 165 minutes of Serie A football at Hellas Verona. But given their track record when it comes to unearthing future stars, La Zebrette probably deserved the benefit of the doubt.
Nahuel Molina and Rodrigo de Paul both joined Atletico Madrid for a combined fee of around £60 million after making their name at Udinese. Rodrigo Becao and Lazar Samardzic could soon be climbing the footballing ladder too, while Alexis Sanchez also began his European career at the Stadio Friuli.
And Udinese have already secured themselves another substantial profit; Tottenham agreeing a deal that will see Udogie join Antonio Conte’s roster for a cool £22 million in the summer of 2023.
Serie A starlet Destiny Udogie will arrive at Tottenham Hotspur in 2023
“There is a large scouting organization (here). It is much more difficult to work at Udinese than with Roma or Inter,” explains Carnevale.
“We do an excellent job. We sign strangers (little-known players) who, in two or three years, become first-team players. Molina, De Paul, Udogie are the latest examples.
“Udogie will leave in six months. He will go to Tottenham. He is 19 years old (sic, now 20). A precocious boy. At Hellas Verona, he only played seven games. But this was enough for us to realise that he had quality.
“(Udogie has a) great physique.”
An attack-minded left-wing back perfectly suited to Conte’s 3-4-2-1 formation; Udogie has scored an impressive seven goals since the start of the 2021/22 season. His arrival will likely raise serious questions about the future of Ryan Sessegnon. His who’s development continues to plateau, three years on from that £25 million arrival from Fulham.
Spurs, meanwhile, fought off competition from both Inter Milan and Juventus for Udogie.
“That Inter was (interested in) the player is true,” explains Stefano Antonelli, Udogie’s agent.
“But it was a deal with economic connotations that Inter could not support. It was not a viable option, although (Nerazzuri director Piero) Ausilio created the conditions for the possibility to occur. As did Juventus.
“Tottenham have paid 20 million euros, plus 6 million more in bonuses.”
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