Tottenham can sign next Udogie in 'extraordinary' teen perfect for Postecoglou

A full-back arriving at the back stick to finish off a move. With HITC Football understanding that Tottenham Hotspur are one a number of Premier League clubs watching 19-year-old Kayode, the manner in which he opened his senior account on Monday – bursting into a position more akin to a centre-forward than a so-called ‘defender’ – should have had Postecoglou beaming, the Spurs boss’ deployment of his own full-backs leaving even the arch-innovator Pep Guardiola raising his eyebrows.

“I would say my full-backs go inside,” Guardiola, who pioneered the ‘inverted full-back’ role in English football at Manchester City, said back in December.

“But (Tottenham’s) full-backs go into the pockets. They are attacking midfielders. I’ve never seen it before. I never used that. It belongs absolutely to (Postecoglou).”

Tottenham Hotspur are watching Michael Kayode

Any full-back in a Postecoglou team must be capable of not only flying forward on the overlap but also on the underlap. Drifting from the wide areas into central positions, and contributing both in the build-up phase and in chance creation.

TNT Sport pundit Ally McCoist, during Tottenham’s recent 2-2 draw at Everton, spotted that Destiny Udogie – one of Spurs’ many recent Serie A success stories – was spending much of his time not as a left-back but almost as a ‘number ten’. The technical qualities and tactical flexibility of Udogie and the influential Pedro Porro go some way to explaining why Postecoglou quickly installed both players as Spurs’ first-choice full-backs, ahead of the more workmanlike and limited Ben Davies and Emerson Royal.

One suspects that the latter, something of a cult hero for his never-say-die spirit but ill-suited to Postecoglou’s gameplan, is the man most at risk of Tottenham’s interest in Kayode, dubbed an ‘extraordinary’ talent after he shut down the reigning Serie A Player of the Year Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in a 3-1 win at Napoli.

“It’s all new,” Udogie, who joined Spurs from Udinese for a bargain £21 million, told Sport Week this month. “I’m not used to playing as a midfielder or as a ‘number 10’. But I often find myself there and I’m trying to settle in and help the team.

“I think the coach’s style helped me a lot. For me, it’s a new way of playing. However, the coach and the staff gave me a helping hand in fitting in. I am very grateful to them.”

Serie A starlet can emulate Destiny Udogie’s success

Given the complexity and the uniqueness of Postecoglou’s approach, Italy under-21 ace Kayode would probably require similarly extensive coaching from the straight-talking Aussie and his staff should Tottenham fight off potential competition from the likes of Arsenal, Dortmund and Real Madrid.

But, as the Football Talent Scout website explain in an extensive analysis of Kayode’s strengths and weaknesses, this is a player already well-suited to fulfil the sort of roles Porro and Udogie have made look like second nature.

“(Kayode’s) versatility leads to a dynamic right side in the Viola’s 4-2-3-1,” they write, highlighting the teenager’s high-pressing skills, the variety of his deliveries, and his ability to flit between wide and more central positions.

“(He) shows willingness to join the attack and provide verticality and width. (Kayode also) shows flexibility in entering the attacking third with inverted and overlapping runs. He has the ability to cut in and comfortably use his left foot.

“Has the potential to be a complete full-back or wing-back. Has ball skills to maintain possession, complete passes, and take-on players 1v1 while being athletic and strong enough to recover well and use his physicality to win duels with opposing wingers and arriving midfielders.”

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