Just five months after Destiny Udogie joined the London-based club, Tottenham have been convinced to hand the young Italian defender a contract that will keep him with the club until 2029, adding two years to the initial agreement.
With the player scoring his first goal for the team on Saturday against Newcastle United, the updated contract will also include a pay rise.
Making way into the club
Although Udogie has only spent five months playing for the Spurs, the 21-year-old is no stranger to the club.
Serie A side Udinese acquired him from Hellas Verona in July 2022 then flipped him to Tottenham six weeks later, arranging a side deal that saw him spend the 2022-2023 season on loan to Udinese. He played 33 games for the Italian club with team officials keeping a close eye on him
Impressed by what they saw – 3 goals and 4 assists – Udogie was welcomed back after the end of the loan term. However, his return to the English side was not without complications.
Gone were head coach Antonio Conte and personnel man Fabio Paratici who were responsible for negotiating his arrival the year before. Nevertheless, the youngster was welcomed well by new manager Ange Postecoglou, such that he has started 14 of Spurs 16 games thus far. If not for an injury and a suspension, he'd no doubt be 16 for 16.
Udogie has shared that he felt motivated to do well after a talk with Postecoglou. "The first day I came in, he called me to speak with him and told me I am a key player for him … he explained what he wanted from me, and knowing I had the trust of the head coach was good motivation," he told The Athletic.
The details regarding the extent of the wage increase have not been revealed yet. However, despite it possibly being too soon, the Italian defender has definitely shown how crucial he can be to the current squad.