Just three months after his Premier League debut, Destiny Udogie has signed a new six-and-a-half-year contract with Tottenham.
The contract extension will see the Italian international remain with Spurs until the summer of 2030.
Udogie, who turned 21 at the end of November, signed for £15m from Udinese in the summer of 2022 but was on loan to Spurs in Serie A for all of last season.
Since joining Spurs at the start of the current campaign, the left-sided defender has established himself as a key figure in Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
Udogie made his Premier League debut against Brentford in August and has since made 14 appearances for Spurs – all in the starting line-up – and scored his first goal for the club in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Newcastle.
In October 2023, he earned his first call-up to Italy’s senior squad and made his debut in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta the same month.
He has made 14 appearances so far this campaign, scoring his first goal for the club in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United.
His form has also been rewarded on the international stage, as he made two appearances for the Italian national team in October.
“Knowing that I have the confidence of Postecoglou was a great motivation
Udogie only made his debut for Spurs in August, against Brentford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Since then, he has been a revelation, adapting easily to his new role as a reverse full-back in a back four, having previously played almost exclusively as a wing-back in a back five. It is hard to believe that he is a newcomer in this position and that he is only 20 years old.
Udogie was signed when his compatriot Antonio Conte was head coach, the transfer operation was led by another Italian Fabio Paratici, and he was seen as the perfect wing-back for Conte’s 3-4-3 system. It was a position he had played at Udinese, and he seemed to be a natural fit.
When Udogie returned to Spurs after his season at Udinese (where he had another impressive season in Serie A with three goals and four assists), Conte and Paratici left their positions and a new head coach was in place.
But Postecoglou immediately made it clear to Udogie how much he appreciated him. “The first day I arrived, he called me in for a chat and told me I was a key player for him,” Udogie says. “He explained what he wanted from me and knowing that I had the confidence of the head coach was a big motivation.”
Others at the club felt that Udogie had developed a lot in the year since signing his contract – that the boy had become a man.