Sottil: ‘More Udinese prospects after Udogie to Tottenham’

Andrea Sottil expects more Udinese youngsters to step up following Destiny Udogie’s move to Tottenham.

The U21 Italy international signed with the Premier League side in the summer, but will remain on loan at the Dacia Arena until the end of the season.

He has scored one goal in the opening four Serie A games of the season. Sottil, the new Udinese coach, expects more youngsters to show their worth in 2022-23.

“I don’t like talking about single players, whoever arrives at Udinese has the qualities to play at a high level,” he told Il Corriere dello Sport newspaper.

“We have guys born in 2004, 05, 06…Udogie was born in 2002 and Tottenham signed him. There are young players you will hear about. There are interesting players among the recent new signings.”

Udogie has joined Tottenham on a permanent €18m deal, signing a contract until 2027. The 19-year-old has scored six goals in 44 Serie A appearances and made his Italy U21 debut a year ago, in September 2021.

Sottil is a former Udinese defender and returned to the club for his first stint as a Serie A coach in the summer.

“It’s solid and ambitious ownership. The Udinese model has been copied everywhere, they were the first ones to begin a certain kind of work with scouting and investments [in young players],” he said.

“Today, they are a top club, thanks to the Pozzo family. The facts speak for themselves. Udogie and Molina have joined big clubs and are the last ones on a long list.”

Udinese earned seven points in the first four games of the season and host José Mourinho’s Roma at the Dacia Arena tomorrow.