Tottenham Hotspur made some changes over the summer, and while chairman Daniel Levy hasn't always had the Lilywhites support singing his praises, there are clear signs that the club is headed in the right direction.
Despite foundering to an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, Spurs have blitzed into the ascendancy this year and topped the table after ten matches, and while Ange Postecoglou has now suffered successive defeats against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, there is much optimism that the side has entered an exciting new chapter.
Appointing the Australian just feels right, with his possession-based, fearless style aligning with the exciting style of football that became the staple of the halcyon days of Mauricio Pochettino's time at the helm.
And while successive losses were a bitter pill to have swallowed after such a brilliant start, injuries and suspensions more than played their part and inhibited Spurs from maintaining their lead at the forefront of the Premier League pack.
Before this recent slump, there was almost an air of invincibility enveloping the Spurs squad, who secured statement victories over the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool and left the Emirates Stadium with an impressive draw against Arsenal.
Postecoglou deserves all the plaudits for instilling his philosophy and doing so to resounding success, with his leadership nurturing formerly struggling stars such as Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma to the fore.
The same could be said for Heung-min Son, who is now thriving as the star centre-forward in Harry Kane's wake, but such successes have only been realised with the integration of top-class talents.
James Maddison and Micky van de Ven are the salient examples, but Destiny Udogie has been equally instrumental in crafting Tottenham's resurgence, and while he was actually signed over a year ago, he has slotted perfectly into the new system.
Why Tottenham signed Destiny Udogie
An Antonio Conte-led Spurs side completed a swoop for Udogie in August 2022 for an initial £15m, but while the young Italian boasted more than a hint of promise, it was felt that his development would be best served away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at that stage and he was loaned back to his outfit, Serie A side Udinese, for the 2022/23 campaign.
Last season, the 6 foot 1 gem certainly grew into his skin in Italy, posting three goals and four assists across 33 Serie A outings and producing performances that left little choice but to welcome him to the fold down the N17.
It was a prudent move from Levy and his transfer team, with Udogie lined up as the long-term solution to the left-back quandary at the club, with Ivan Perisic ageing and not considered the starring, multi-functional star to make the position his own and Ryan Sessegnon plagued by injury problems.
Destiny Udogie's market value now
Described as "sickeningly good" by footballJOE's Hunter Godson, who also remarked that Udogie "gets into nearly every team in the world already", it's clear that this fast-improving gem has been a stellar investment for Tottenham.
Still aged only 21, Udogie was one of the standout performers in the early phase of the current Premier League campaign before a reckless lunge at Raheem Sterling two weeks ago handed Chelsea a two-man advantage to condemn Postecoglou to his very first defeat in the English top-flight.
As per FBref, the Italian ranks among the top 18% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for assists, the top 8% for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90.
Evidently one of the most compelling and progressive in his position right now, Udogie has been sensational since linking up with the Spurs squad in the summer, with journalist Carlo Garganese remarking that he has been "taking the best league in the world by storm."
The 6 foot 2 defender's exploits had been instrumental in establishing Tottenham as a formidable force in the top-flight this season, with the £45k-per-week dynamo bagging two assists from ten matches so far, completing 88% of his passes and making 2.7 tackles and 6.2 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.
It's not surprising that his market value has shot right up, with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing the dynamic defender at €60m (£52m).
This represents a 247% increase in value for a player still so young, with his current market value even surpassing the fee that was paid to sign Maddison in the summer.
Why Tottenham signed James Maddison
After Leicester City suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, it was always going to be inevitable that Maddison would depart, having established himself as one of English football's standout creators over the past years.
In what appeared to be a coup for Postecoglou's outfit, Tottenham wrapped up a £40m deal for the 26-year-old's signature in July to provide an exciting addition to boost the hopes of returning to prominence.
(per game)
22/23
23/24
Apps
30
11
Goals
10
3
Assists
9
5
Big chances created
12
6
Shots taken
2.8
2.5
Key passes
2.3
2.9
Pass completion
79%
85%
*Sourced via Sofascore
As the table delineates, Maddison has maintained all of his core creative attributes while honing the crispness of his craft; he's effectively on course to match last season's goal tally right now and is playmaking at a far greater rate, roughly 33% more effective.
He's been absolutely sensational and the fact that he is sidelined until the new year threatens to be a detrimental blow to Spurs' aspirations of disrupting the title race, as evidenced by the past few weeks.
While he is the fulcrum in the middle, the charger of the offensive engine and the conductor in attacking transitions, Udogie has been equally immense under Postecoglou's guidance and his absence was definitely felt against the Old Gold last time out.
It's frightening to imagine how good the 20-year-old could become over the coming years but given that CIES Football Observatory already value him at higher than Spurs paid for Maddison just a few months ago is a testament to his meteoric rise.
