Tottenham Hotspur had a relatively quiet January transfer window as their only signings were Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro on loan from Villarreal and Sporting Lisbon respectively.
However, Football Insider has claimed that Spurs attempted to snap up young left-back Thierry Small from Premier League rivals Southampton on the final day of the window
The report claims that the north London club believes the youngster has the potential to make the breakthrough at first-team level in the top flight in the future but pulled out of a deal after their offer fell short of the Saints’ asking price.
Fabio Paratici must now forget about a swoop for the 18-year-old, though, as Antonio Conte could save his compatriot millions by bringing Destiny Udogie back into the fold next season.
Speaking to Tottenham’s website, Paratici hailed the gem’s talent by saying: “He is a wing-back, he has a really, really, really good left foot, offensive phases are really good, he creates a lot of opportunities to score, make assists so he’s a complete player.”
The young left-back is currently out on loan after joining Spurs on a permanent deal last summer, and his form in 2022/23 so far suggests that he could be an excellent option for Conte next term.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed the dynamo as being “on fire” earlier this season, and the 20-year-old’s statistics in Serie A for Udinese back that up.
The Italian full-back has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 across 16 appearances, contributing two goals and two assists while creating 1.4 chances per game for his teammates, putting him among Tottenham’s top five creators.
This is not a one-off for the youngster, who scored five goals and assisted four others in 29 Serie A appearances for Udinese last season. This demonstrates that the gem has established himself as an attacking talent from a full-back position, which is ideal for Conte’s wing-back system.
He still has about four months to play in Italy, but his current statistics indicate that Conte should be looking forward to welcoming him back to Spurs next season.
If the head coach can return Udogie to N17 and get him performing at those levels in the Premier League, there will be no need for another young player in that position to come in, saving Paratici. from having to spend millions of dollars on a new signing like Small.
