Gary Lineker has a hypothesis about why Tottenham Hotspur had a poor finish to the season.

Spurs were once in prime position to finish in the top four. Champions League qualification appeared to be within their grasp, but things did not go their way in the final two months of the season.

Tottenham won just two of their final seven Premier League games, finishing fifth, three points ahead of Chelsea.

Gary Lineker makes claim regarding what transpired to Tottenham following Destiny Udogie’s injury.
Destiny Udogie joined Tottenham from Udinese in the summer of 2022 for a reported £15 million (BBC).

The Italian spent the season on loan there and impressed. He joined Tottenham at the start of the 2023/24 season and caught Ange Postecoglou’s attention.

The Spurs manager named Udogie his first-choice left-back, and he began the season in spectacular fashion. He wowed everyone with his talents.

Udogie was Tottenham’s main left full-back, and the team struggled when he was sidelined in the early half of the season.

Then, in April, Spurs’ worst worries came true: Udogie sustained a catastrophic injury that ruined his season.

Tottenham won just two games without him from that point on, finishing fifth and missing out on a Champions League spot for next season.

Lineker chose Udogie to his Team of the Season, and he believes the Italian’s injury was one of the reasons Spurs fell so poorly in the last weeks of the season.

He stated on The Rest is Football podcast, “I’m actually going to go with Destiny Udogie.” Despite his recent injury, he stands out among the left-backs.

“I think he’s the best Italian player around right now.” I believe the injury he sustained was one of the reasons Spurs’ performance dipped. It’s a shame he won’t be attending the Euros as well.”

Tottenham’s figures without Destiny Udogie are shocking.

Despite his talent, no one expected him to have such a significant impact in his debut season.

The Italy international made 30 appearances for Spurs in all competitions and was consistently good. However, the North Londoners ran into trouble when he was unavailable for games.

Tottenham played 11 games without Udogie this season and won just four of them. Three of the four victories were decided by one goal.

Spurs scored 15 goals and surrendered 21 in his absence, a terrible statistic.

This not only demonstrates how vital Udogie is to Tottenham, but it also shows Postecoglou how important it is to sign a new left-back this summer.