The rise of Djed Spence: From having Leeds loan cut short to starring for Spurs | OneFootball

Djed Spence has been on some journey over the last few years, from being seemingly frozen out of the first-team picture to becoming one of Tottenham’s best players in recent weeks.

Spence has been at the club for almost three years, although it has been a very long and difficult journey for the full-back to break into the team.

Early career

The 24-year-old has struggled to find a home for himself since leaving Middlesborough in 2022. He had spent most of his career at the Yorkshire club but moved on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he had his breakthrough season in 2021/22.

He played 46 games for Forest as they finished fourth in the Championship and won promotion through the play-offs to achieve Premier League status. Spence registered three goals and five assists that season and was an integral part of Steve Cooper’s side.

Joining Spurs

It was after this brilliant season that he caught the eye of Tottenham, and he made the move to the club in July of 2022 in a deal worth a possible £20m.

But he played only six games in his first season under Antonio Conte, who seemingly was not keen on the defender.

The Italian described Spence as a “club signing” as opposed to someone he wanted to bring in.

“Spence is an investment of the club,” he said. “The club wanted to do it.

“I said ‘OK, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us’. The club decided to buy him.”

Spence later said on Conte: “I didn’t really have a relationship with him, to be honest. He’s a coach that has his way. I don’t think he has much of a relationship with his players.”

Loan moves

The left-back was loaned to Rennes in the January of his first season at Spurs, a move which did not work out as anticipated.

He played just eight times in the league for the French club and missed the end of the season through injury.

The season after, he was loaned to Leeds, but quickly fell out of favour under Daniel Farke before having his loan cut short.

Discussing why Spence’s loan move was cut short, Farke said: “Listen, in the summer we came here in order to create and to bring new values and to create a new culture within the club and when we speak about a player if he’s on here on a permanent or a loan deal, we have expectations and these expectations are in several topics important.

“Obviously it’s important, the potential and the quality of the player but also it’s professionalism, it’s discipline, it’s workload on and off the pitch. And also the soft skills, so also if he’s positive and committed, good for the group and engaged with these topics, to paint then more or less a picture.

“We decided ‘okay, this is the player we want in our group and want to represent Leeds United’. But our demands are very, very high and we don’t differ between loan players and permanent players, so we are pretty picky in this topic.”

Spence, discussing those comments, later responded: “I don’t necessarily agree with what they said. But in football, this is how it is: you have to keep your head down, keep going and eventually prove people wrong.”

He moved to Genoa on loan for the second half of the campaign with a view to a permanent transfer, with the Italian side reportedly agreeing an option to buy Spence for £8.5m. But they were not willing to meet that fee and could not agree on a cut-price deal.

Back to Tottenham

He returned to Tottenham again at the start of this season after several disappointing loan spells, and it looked like it was going to be a familiar story for Spence with Postecoglou not seeming too keen to use him.

Postecoglou started the Englishman for the first time in the Premier League this season on the 15th December. Spence registered an assist in that game, a 5-0 drubbing of Southampton, and has been a first-team regular since.

His rise to becoming one of Tottenham’s key players has been almost three years in the making, but he is making the most of the opportunity he has been given at left-back.

“Sometimes it’s difficult, but you’ve got to stay ready,” Spence said when discussing his ascension into the first-team after Tottenham’s Carabao Cup win over Manchester United in December.

“I’ve just had to stay ready for my opportunity to show what I can do and that’s what I’m doing.

“It was never know until I left. There’s always a chance to play.

“I came back and got to it and I’m happy to be here. The crowd have been fantastic and they believe in me.”

Destiny Udogie is returning to fitness and will be aiming for his starting place back, but at the moment it is very difficult for Postecoglou to drop Spence.

He won player of the match in the 1-0 win against Manchester United and impressed Gary Lineker, who said Thomas Tuchel should be considering the left-back for his first England squad next month.

The former striker, speaking on ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, said: “It’s funny, isn’t it, that about a year ago, we were going on about the left-back problem for England.

“And then suddenly you get three emerge at once. [Myles] Lewis-Skelly, obviously Lewis Hall and Djed Spence. Three young players that suddenly look really strong in that position.

“And I would think one of them will be playing in Thomas Tuchel’s first game, which is only just, what, a month away now.”

It has been a meteoric rise for Spence, and he will be hoping to carry on his brilliant form and make himself a mainstay in the Spurs team for years to come.