Antonio Conte says Destiny Udogie not a part of his current Tottenham Hotspur plans
Speaking in his press conference today at Hotspur Way (h/t Football.London), Antonio Conte admitted that Destiny Udogie isn’t a part of his “present” Tottenham Hotspur plans.
The Italian manager made Udogie his seventh signing this summer. The 19-year-old left-back is headed back to Udinese to fulfill a season-long loan spell before he can play for Spurs.
The former Hellas Verona man cost Spurs £17million in transfer fees this summer. Speaking on Udogie, Conte emphasised that he is a player for the future, not the present.
“He’s a player for the future. I think he is a good prospect for Tottenham because we are talking about a young player. For sure this player needs to develop like Spence and in my opinion a good investment for the club.”
Spurs currently have three left-wing-backs on their books. Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic, Ben Davies, and Sergio Reguilon can all play in that position.
However, that spot can free up soon, and to a large extent. The Welshman is already being played as a left-sided centre-back, while Perisic, at 33, isn’t really a long-term investment.
Reguilon is also heavily linked with a move away from N17 this summer. And this is why Conte reminded fans that Udogie is a player they can expect to see in action for Spurs in the future, not right now.
“When you are young you need to play to improve your experience. For sure we are talking about a good prospect, but we are talking about a player for the future not for the present. He has to develop and to grow with a group of players with more experience.”
It’s a good thing he is headed back to play in Serie A because he is a very part of Udinese’s team. He is virtually guaranteed to get first-team minutes there and could return to Tottenham an even better player.
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But as Conte said, he is a player we must think about as a future prospect. Right now, it is expected that Sessegnon and Perisic will fight for the starting berth down the left flank.
