PAUL MERSON BELIEVES £15M SPURS PLAYER IS PROVING DISPLAY V ARSENAL WASN’T A FLUKE

Pundit Paul Merson has hailed Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie for proving that his display against Bukayo Saka wasn’t a fluke.

A worry for Tottenham was the left back position following Danny Rose’s outstanding play under Mauricio Pochettino.

Ryan Sessegnon and Sergio Reguilon did not live up to the expectations, and although Ben Davies is a reliable player, he did not present a potent offensive threat.

In 2022, Spurs took a different approach and paid £15.5 million to recruit Destiny Udogie from Udinese.

In the hopes that he would be prepared to excel in the Premier League by 2023, Udogie was immediately loaned back to the Italian team to complete his development.

That theory has proven correct as Udogie has performed admirably for Tottenham, receiving accolades from former Arsenal star Paul Merson.

Tottenham talent Destiny Udogie hailed by Paul Merson

Merson has told Sportskeeda that he thinks Udogie is the most underrated player in the Premier League right now.

The pundit noted that he watched Udogie mark Bukayo Saka out of the game when Tottenham drew 2-2 at Arsenal earlier this season.

That signaled to Merson that Udogie is a “completely outstanding talent” and occurred even after the Italian had been booked.

Udogie is the “all-around package” at left back, Merson said, combining his defensive prowess with his attacking abilities.

“When I saw him earlier in the season, he was playing against Bukayo Saka and was booked after five minutes. The wide winger for Arsenal lost his kick after that, which was a sign early on that he would be a player. I thought that might have been an anomaly, but as the season has gone on, Udogie has become even more of a talent—truly exceptional,” Merson said.

“There are a lot of full-backs who are good going forward but can’t really defend, but Udogie is an all-round package, making him one of the most exciting players in the world in his position. He’s come back from Udinese and really flourishe d and is getting all the accolades now, so people might say he’s not really underrated. I just feel like after what he’s done this season, he deserves a mention, so he tops my list,” he added.

Udogie recently signed a new contract at Tottenham and the hope is that he will continue to be a star player for many years to come.

Udogie is only 21 years old and has played in just 17 Premier League games, but he is already rather good. He is far from the polished product.

With the signing of Udogie, Tottenham seems to have pulled off a brilliant move.

If Tottenham had waited until 2023 to make a purchase, they might have faced more competition and run the danger of losing out.

Before moving to North London, Spurs were able to provide Udogie some stability by signing him for a respectable price and allowing him to continue his development in Italy.

Now that Udogie has been acquired, many Premier League teams—Merson included, considering Arsenal’s recent struggles at left back—will be envious.