Tottenham Hotspur have been told they have a truly "perfect" youngster as talkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor makes a James Maddison comparison.
Spurs form under Ange Postecoglou
Spurs supporters are quite simply in dreamland right now, as popular head coach Ange Postecoglou enjoys the best start made by any new manager in Premier League history. Wins over Bournemouth, Man United, Burnley, Sheffield United, Liverpool, Luton Town and Fulham have sent table-topping Tottenham on an imperious run of form as they gear up to take on struggling Crystal Palace later today.
It's been a remarkable early-season run and Spurs' best start to a campaign since 1960/1961, where they went on to clinch a domestic double. Postecoglou is seemingly transforming the mood around N17, with Australian already setting a very high standard for his squad.
"I don't go into a job not believing I can't make an impact," said Postecoglou ahead of Crystal Palace (via football.london).
"That's my role. Like I said a few times, my measure of that is not really having some predetermined timeframe of when that happens or it happens. It's just trying to focus on putting the things in place that are important for what we're trying to build. Along the way the progress comes at various times and at different sort of trajectories.
"We're in a good space at the moment but again we've still got plenty of work to do to make sure what we do now is sustainable. That's the main thing. It's not about making a short-term impact, it's about building something which hopefully brings sustained opportunities of success for the club."
Star players like Maddison and Son Heung-min are a huge part of Tottenham's upward trajectory and look set to play a key role once again versus Palace this evening. The former has quite simply dazzled since joining Spurs from Leicester City for around £40 million, as Maddison is showered with praise for his incredible impact.
Udogie transforms Spurs "just as much"
Another player to seriously impress at Tottenham this season has been Destiny Udogie, who forms part of Postecoglou's starting eleven week-in, week-out. The Italy international could miss Palace due to fitness issues, which would surely be a blow considering his excellence. TalkSPORT'S Gabriel Agbonlahor, speaking to Football Insider this week, even claimed Udogie has transformed Spurs "just as much as Maddison".
“I really like Udogie. I’ve watched him a lot this season. He struggled initially with Saka in the derby, but in the second half – he was outstanding. Almost any left-back left one-on-one with Saka would struggle but he owned him. He’s strong, he’s quick, he’s good on the ball, he can get into dangerous areas and get assists – he’s the left-back and player Tottenham were crying out for.
Dribbling
Ball interception
Tackling
“He’s the perfect left-back because he’s taller than the average, and he’s strong and aggressive. For me, he’s been a revelation alongside Van de Ven and they’ve really transformed that defence, just as much as Maddison has transformed them at the other end”.