90min writer Sean Walsh feels that Daniel Levy bringing in Destiny Udogie is an attempt to ensure that Antonio Conte stays at Tottenham for the foreseeable future.
Spurs are thought to be closing in on the Udinese wing-back in what could be their seventh signing of the summer.
The 19-year-old would, however, return to his current employers on loan until the end of this season, and it is thought that particular facet of the move was the dealbreaker, with Brighton & Hove Albion also interested in acquiring his services.
It will cost the Lilywhites €25m (£21.1m) to land the Italian defender, and Walsh is of the belief that Levy’s commitment to this move is a ‘promising’ sign for the football club.
Speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, he said: “It does seem as if this is a deal for the long term and for Conte in the long term – that this is his kind of goalscoring output wing-back.
“There were reports recently that Daniel Levy is having to do all he can to prove to Conte that he should stick around in the long term, so this, for me, is one of those deals that’s like, ‘okay, we’re serious about you, here is a perfect wing-back in your mould, so in a couple of years, maybe even from next year onwards, if you’re looking to phase Perisic out, we’ve got a ready-made replacement. So that’s really promising.”
TIF Thoughts on Conte and Spurs…
Do you think Conte will guide Spurs to silverware?
Yes
No
Conte is under contract in north London until next summer and Daily Express journalist Charlie Gordon has previously warned Spurs’ supporters of the Italian’s erratic nature.
His average term as a manager is just over a year (1.16) but perhaps he will buy into the plan that Levy has put forward and the chairman does seem intent on backing the coach, which was a major worry heading into the summer.
Therefore, deals like this may be more important in the long run than it initially seems.