It’s not been a great campaign for Tottenham Hotspur so far this season.
Ange Postecoglou’s Lilywhites might have scored the second-highest number of goals in the Premier League this year, but they currently find themselves down in 11th place and are enduring their worst form in the competition since 2008.
While there are issues across the pitch for the North Londoners, defence is without a doubt the biggest issue, and a significant reason why is the number of defenders who have been injured.
One of those who is now ruled out for the upcoming game against Newcastle United is Destiny Udogie, and while he was brilliant last season, recent reports have linked Spurs with an up-and-coming full-back who could be his replacement.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham have maintained their interest in Lecce full-back Patrick Dorgu.
However, the bad news is that a number of other clubs, such as AC Milan, Chelsea, Napoli, Liverpool and Manchester United, are now beginning to circle the young Dane, which in turn has seen the 20-year-old’s initial £30m valuation increase.
This is a problem as, according to the report, Daniel Levy could limit Postecoglou to spending £25m, although given the recent injury to Udogie, there is always a possibility that the budget may increase.
Overall, signing Dorgu could be a complicated and costly transfer, but given his ability and Spurs’ need, it’s one worth pursuing, even if it would be bad news for Udogie’s long-term future.
How Dorgu compares to Udogie
So, if Spurs are able to increase their transfer budget, get ahead of the chasing pack, and secure Dorgu’s services this month, he’d almost certainly come in and immediately start for the injured Udogie.
However, what will happen once the Italian full-back returns from his injury? Who would be the Lilywhites’ starting left-back?
Well, the way to work that out is to compare them against each other and see who comes out on top, starting with something that is becoming increasingly important for a modern full-back: their pure output.
In this regard, the Lecce man comes way ahead, with three goals in 19 games to the former Udinese ace’s one assist in 23 matches, although the 20-year-old has played all over the pitch this season, which will have helped.
How about their underlying numbers, then? Who comes out on top when we take a look at what’s going on under the hood?
Well, unfortunately for the Verona-born dynamo, it is once again his potential replacement who emerges victorious, and by quite some way at that.
For example, the exciting prospect, whom Lecce sporting director Pantaleo Corvino described as having “an engine unmatched by anyone else,” comes out on top in almost every metric, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots, goal and shot-creating actions, passes and crosses into the penalty area, clearances, shots blocked, and aerial duels won, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.25
0.10
Actual Non-Penalty G+As
0.18
0.06
Progressive Carries
2.93
2.45
Progressive Passes
2.32
6.10
Progressive Passes Received
5.55
4.97
Shots
1.89
0.31
Shots on Target
0.49
0.06
Passing Accuracy
77.2%
87.8%
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.73
0.31
Crosses into the Penalty Area
0.30
0.06
Shot-Creating Actions
2.49
1.76
Goal-Creating Actions
0.30
0.19
Tackles Won
1.22
1.95
Shots Blocked
0.18
0.13
Passes Blocked
0.85
1.57
Clearances
2.20
1.57
Interceptions
0.85
1.07
Ball Recoveries
5.12
5.22
Aerial Duels Won
1.52
0.69
Ultimately, while Udogie is a very talented footballer, it’s apparent that Dorgu would be the perfect upgrade for Postecoglou’s full-throttle system.
Therefore, while it would cost a pretty penny, Levy and Co must do what they can to bring him to N17 this month.
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