With almost every game that goes by, the deal which brought Destiny Udogie to Tottenham Hotspur looks more and more like a bargain.
Yes, he’s still raw, with a fair few rough edges. But if you tasked a fleet of world-leading scientists to design you the prototype of the typical modern full-back, then the end result would look a lot like the man going from strength-to-strength under Ange Postecoglou at the Premier League giants.
“We have a great relationship because we’re Italian,” Guglielmo Vicario, Tottenham’s fellow Serie A import, tells FourFourTwo of Destiny Udogie. “We spend loads of time together at the training ground.
“I try to push him to do extra work. Maybe not just to train but also to come with me to the gym, because he’s got huge potential. He can still improve a lot.
“He’s not simply one of the best left-backs in the Premier League, but also the world.”
Will Tottenham Hotspur sign another Destiny Udogie?
Patrick Dorgu is yet to be spoken about in similar terms. But with Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester City and, yes, Tottenham Hotspur, all taking a look at the Lecce teenager, it feels like a case of when not if Dorgu ends up on a career path similar to Udogie’s own (Tipsbladet).
The 19-year-old Denmark U21 international is reportedly valued at a similar fee to the one Tottenham paid for Udogie, around £17 million. Their Serie A backgrounds, their price-tags and their left-footedness is only the beginning of the similarities between the two full-backs, meanwhile, and Lecce coach Luca Gotti is well placed to pass judgement having worked with Tottenham’s number 38 at Udinese.
“They have several aspects in common. The things they have in common is a large engine size and good technical ball management,” Gotti tells Tuttomercatoweb of Dorgu.
“The points of difference are that they are two different guys. They both certainly have very high potential.”
Udogie has been one of the first names on Postecoglou’s team sheet this season. But with Ryan Sessegnon’s injury issues continuing and Ben Davies more suited to a central role these days, Tottenham are expected to be in the market for a left-back.
HITC understands that Spurs are keen on Fenerbahce flyer Ferdi Kadioglu, as well as his defensive midfield team-mate Ismail Yuksek.
Agent admits Liverpool and Man City interest
“There is a lot of interest in Patrick,” Dorgu’s agent, Kingsley Ogbodo, admitted last year, confirming that both Liverpool and Man City are watching his client closely. “That doesn’t surprise me. Everyone can see his talent.
“When he has even more confidence in his abilities and has completed his growth, then we will see the results he can achieve.
“England, Spain, Germany… From different countries, they try to contact me. When the time comes, we will know what to do. He is young and we want him to grow calmly, waiting for the right moment, which will come.”
Dorgu, however, appears to have his heart set on joining another Premier League club. The teenager, by his own admission, is a blue-blooded ‘Chelsea fan’.
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