By Victor Kanayo
Nigerian footballer Destiny Udogie who plays for Udinese in Italy has completed a switch to Tottenham Hotspur.
The 19-year-old has penned a five-year contract with the Lilywhites until the summer of 2027 and will remain on loan with Udinese for the 2022-23 campaign.
Spurs are understood to have signed the Italy Under-21 international for an initial £15m, which could rise to around £20m with performance-related bonuses.
The Nigerian eligible defender becomes Antonio Conte’s seventh signing of the summer window after the arrivals of Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Richarlison, Djed Spence and Clement Lenglet.
The defender arrived in North London on Monday and spent the night at the on-site hotel at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training complex before undergoing his medical and signing his contract.
Speaking to the club’s official website on his arrival in North London, Udogie said: “It is a big honour for me to be in this big team. Big club with a big history. I always knew that football was inside me was always my dream since a child.
“It’s a pleasure, it’s a dream to have played as a professional in Serie A, a tough league. (On loan at Udinese) I want to personally to grow as much as I can, to understand the game a little bit more and obviously play my best season in Serie A.
“It is an honour for me to play under a big coach like Antonio Conte. I think he knows the football very well and I’m going to grow along with him.
“I think the Premier League is the biggest league in the world, it is the most difficult and I like challenges, difficult challenges, so I’m excited to start and for me also to play for Tottenham as well, a big team. I think it’s a big dream come true.”
Udogie began his career with boyhood club Hellas Verona where he spent five years before moving to Udinese last summer on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy.
The youngster primarily operated as a left wing-back with the with Bianconeri and recorded five goals and three assists in 35 Serie A appearances last season.
With the likes of Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon all competing for the left wing-back berth at Spurs this campaign, Udogie will continue his development at Udinese before returning to North London in 2023.
Udogie is expected to be involved in Udinese’s opening Serie A fixture of the new season at home to Salernitana on Saturday August 20, 2022.
