Tottenham reach agreement with Destiny Udogie over improved long-term contract

Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with defender Destiny Udogie over an improved long-term contract.

The 21-year-old’s current deal runs until 2027 but he is set to be rewarded with a new one that includes a pay rise.

Udogie, who joined Tottenham from Udinese in the summer of 2022 and spent the 2022-23 season on loan at the Italian side, has been one of the north London side’s standout performers this term.

He has made 14 appearances so far this campaign and scored his first goal for the club during Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle United.

His form has also been rewarded on the international scene, making two appearances for the Italy national team in October.

‘Knowing I had Postecoglou trust was big motivation’

Udogie didn’t make his competitive Spurs debut until August, against Brentford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

He has since been a revelation, adapting seamlessly to a new role as an inverted full-back in a back four having almost exclusively played as a wing-back in a back five previously. It’s hard to believe he is new to the position and is only 20.

Signed when his compatriot Antonio Conte was the head coach and another Italian Fabio Paratici was running the transfer operation, Udogie was viewed as one day being the perfect wing-back for Conte’s 3-4-3 system. This was the position he played for Udinese and it felt like a natural fit.

By the time Udogie rejoined Spurs after his season-long loan back with Udinese (where he enjoyed another impressive campaign with three goals and four assists in Serie A), Conte and Paratici had left their positions, and there was a new head coach in place.

But Postecoglou immediately made it clear to Udogie how much he valued him. “The first day I came in, he called me to speak with him and he told me I’m a key player for him,” Udogie says. “He explained what he wanted from me, and knowing I had the trust of the head coach was a big motivation.”

Others at the club felt that Udogie had developed a lot in the year since signing — that the boy had become a man.

Read more below from Charlie Eccleshare’s exclusive interview with Udogie.

(Photo: Getty Images)