Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Alasdair Gold

Destiny Udogie and Tanguy Ndombele praise, Joe Rodon decision explained and Dane Scarlett assist

Tottenham now have seven players out on loan across England and Europe, with all of them at different stages of their careers at the club.

In the past week, Spurs added new signing Destiny Udogie to their loan numbers, as well as Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele, who had been told they were not in Antonio Conte's plans for the coming season. That means the club now have players out on loan in Italy, Spain, France, Sweden and England.

More players are expected to add to those numbers in the coming week or so as Conte shapes his squad for the coming campaign. Here is how the seven players got on this week away from north London.

READ MORE: Conte's transfer request and Anthony Gordon, Lloris and Son's disagreement and tough Romero

Destiny Udogie

Spurs signed Italy U21 international Destiny Udogie from Udinese last week in a deal worth £15million plus another potential £3million in add-ons. The 19-year-old left wing-back penned a five-year contract and was loaned straight back to the Serie A side to continue his development this season as he looks to break into the senior Italy set-up.

Udogie got his first minutes of the season Saturday evening as he played the full game as Udinese drew 0-0 at home against Salernitana in Serie A despite playing with 10 men for much of the game.

The teenager's performance drew praise from Udinese boss Andrea Sottil as well as how he wants to continue to help the Spurs youngster improve.

"We all saw what sort of player he is last season. His bursts forward are important for us, and he has so much room for improvement – his off-the-ball movement, for example," he said. "Twice he came across brilliantly to make a defensive block, and when you're capable of doing that, you can make a big difference either at wing-back or in a back four."

Giovani Lo Celso

Giovani Lo Celso left on loan once again for Villarreal, with Spurs inserting a break clause if a club makes a permanent transfer bid for the 26-year-old Argentina international in January, and he then agrees to the move.

The midfielder got straight back into European football with 29 minutes from the bench as the Spanish side beat Hadjuk Split 4-2 in the Europa Conference League play-off round on Thursday evening.

He then made his first start of the season as Villarreal travelled to Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday night and returned with a 2-0 win. Lo Celso got 70 minutes under his belt, playing in a role on the left.

Tanguy Ndombele

Tanguy Ndombele may have been an unused substitute in his first game on loan at Napoli, as they won 4-0 at home against Monza, but he has already impressed his new boss Luciano Spalletti.

Speaking ahead of the game, the coach said: "Ndombele can play in any midfield position. I was struck by his enthusiasm when he arrived at Napoli. He has an incredible desire to win and shows great willingness. As soon as I saw him in training, I could envisage him wearing the Azzurri shirt. He's a powerful player but also has quality. He has great technical ability, especially in pushing the team forward."

The 25-year-old Frenchman joined Napoli on a season-long loan, reportedly for a 1m euro fee (£847,000) and a 30m euros option (£25.4m) to buy next summer.

There is the chance that the player could come up against Tottenham in the Champions League as the Lilywhites are in Pot 2, and Napoli Pot 3 for Thursday's draw in Istanbul, Turkey, and the competition's rules allow loan players to take on their parent clubs.

Joe Rodon

The 24-year-old Wales international centre-back was also an unused substitute after making back-to-back starts for Rennes as they won 2-1 at home against Ajaccio.

Rodon, who moved to the French side this month with a €20million (£16.8m) option for them to buy him permanently, was benched with Rennes boss Bruno Genesio instead selecting young defender Loic Bade.

Genesio explained his decision after the game: "Loic has shown a good level in training since the beginning of his preparation. Joe arrived late, and didn't play much with Tottenham. I found him this week in training, maybe a little less fresh physically and mentally.

"It's not related to his performance at all, far from it. I found it on the two matches rather reassuring too. I observe what I see in training, and Loic deserved to start."

Dane Scarlett

The 18-year-old striker grabbed his first assist in the Football League during Portsmouth's 3-1 victory against Bristol Rovers in League One on Saturday.

Scarlett, who came off the bench for the final 26 minutes of the game and, after picking up an 88th-minute yellow card, got down the right in added time and delivered a pinpoint cross for Owen Dale to head home.

That earned him plenty of praise from the goalscorer for his selflessness on the day.

"I think that Dane was well within his rights to have a shot in that situation because he's a great finisher," said Dale. "We had a little bit of eye contact, and he's put the ball in with a brilliant cross – he put it on a plate for me. He gave me the whole goal to head it into, and it's certainly a moment that I'm never going to forget."

Scarlett has now played six matches for Portsmouth, and manager Danny Cowley is excited about what the teenager has already been showing.

"I think Dane, against the ball, is 'wow'. For an 18-year-old, his understanding of how to defend from the front, and the speed and aggression that he can go and press the ball, is like he's got the eye of the tiger," the Pompey boss is quoted as saying in The Portsmouth News. "He's got this ruthless streak to his game, both against the ball – how quickly he gets up to it – but also then his movement and his reactive quality. In training, he's looked really exciting, and it's lovely from our perspective. We're so privileged to be able to wake up every morning and be able to come in and watch such a young talent grow and develop."

Troy Parrott

Troy Parrott got another 90 minutes under his belt as Preston North End registered their fourth 0-0 draw in five Championship matches with a stalemate at home against Watford on Saturday.

Parrott put in another lively display, particularly in the first half, in a team that has been creating chances but managed just one goal in the league so far this season.

Lancs Live handed him a six in their player ratings after the game, with the review: "Dropped deep to link up play and was lively in the first half. Looked after the ball well up against big defenders but drifted in and out of the game in the second half. Had a couple of sights at goal - one saved from distance and another blocked."

Parrott has now played six matches for Preston and netted one goal, getting plenty of minutes under his belt.

Alfie Whiteman

The 23-year-old goalkeeper has been out on loan, back at Swedish side Degerfors since before the Allsvenskan season began in April. He has racked up 16 appearances so far and was set to play again on Monday night at Hammarby.

Whiteman helped keep Degerfors up last season with a dramatic final day escape, and this campaign, the club are back down near the bottom again, 14th in the 16 team league and just two points ahead of basement boys Sundsvall.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.