Tottenham Hotspur left back Destiny Udogie is out yet again with a muscular injury, and his absences in the 2025/26 season have almost been too numerous to count. The Itailan international is in for two games and out for five, consistent in his inability to actually get on the field and help Spurs dig themselves out of the relegation fight.
It has been a battle throughout the campaign that has frustrated Spurs fans, and while Udogie is far from the only player to be struck by the injury bug in this inexplicably rotten season, he is perhaps the most frequently mentioned in injury reports because of the severe frequency of the recurrence of his injuries.
Udogie, though, is brilliant when he does play. There is a serious case to be made that he is one of the very best players in the Tottenham squad, and, honestly, only Xavi Simons has shown more natural ability in the XI this season than the left back.
Destiny Udogie is a wonderful footballer
The difference in quality between Udogie and Djed Spence is massive. Whereas Spence can't really progress the ball or create plays for his teammates, Udogie is a wonderful offensive weapon and one of the absolute best left backs in the Premier League - and there is no real drop off in quality defensively between himself and the supposed defensive specialist Spence.
But the conundrum for Tottenham Hotspur is getting Destiny Udogie on the pitch. He is exponentially better than the other options at left back, but Spurs don't get to benefit from that. And the fact of the matter is, the best availability is ability, and Spurs supporters are begin to become increasingly frustrated with Udogie's lack of availability.
He is one of the only real sellable assets in the team if Tottenham were to go down to the EFL Championship, and we all know how miserly ENIC are. If given the choice, they would gladly sell an injury prone player at a profit, but then that would leave Tottenham without one of their best players, which would especially hurt them if they do manage to stay up in the Premier League - and lose defensive starters Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven anyway.
Udogie's case is a sad one, and no season has highlighted the duality of the player more than this one. He is great when Spurs have him, but because they never have him, does he really have a place?
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