Real Madrid’s right-back Djed Spence was sent out on loan to Genoa until the end of the season, saying he “doesn’t have a future” at Hotspur Way.
Spence played for Leeds United in the Championship for the first part of the 2023–24 season before being called up earlier in January as Tottenham attempted to move him.
During Lilywhite‘s time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his manager, Ange Postecoglou, hasn’t used the full-back in a match. He was quite happy to let him leave the club for a second time this semester. Since his first arrival in north London, Spence has found it difficult to establish himself in the Tottenham team. 18 months prior.
Spence’s underwhelming tenure at Tottenham
Spence‘s career appeared to be on the rise at the end of the 2021–2022 season after a standout season in the Championship with Nottingham Forest. The full-back, who was on loan from Middlesbrough, contributed to Tricky Trees’ journey from the bottom of the second division to the play-off final. The East Midlands team’s elevation to the Premier League was sealed with a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
Spence transferred from Boro to Tottenham during the summer transfer window of 2022. The north London team paid £20 million to sign the defender for a five-year contract.
But throughout his debut campaign at Hotspur Way, the former England U21 international was unable to establish himself in Antonio Conte‘s starting lineup and was forced to play scrappy minutes.
With Postecoglou‘s arrival in June 2023, Spence would have liked to see more opportunities for the full-back to make an impression on the Tottenham starting eleven. However, upon selecting Pedro Porro and Emerson Royal as his right-back options for the 2023–24 campaign, the Australian head coach quickly sent Spence out on loan to Leeds United. The 23-year-old will have relished the chance to play regular football because he feels his development was stopped during his first season in north London.
However, Spence would miss eight weeks of play in the second tier due to a lateral collateral ligament injury he suffered while training in September. In an interview with GIVEMESPORT in September 2023, JustJoe host Joe Wainman called the defender’s loss a “massive blow.”
After making just seven appearances for Leeds, Spence was used as a makeweight in the Lilywhites‘ agreement to recruit center-back Radu Dragusin from the Serie A team. As a result, Spence was recalled from his loan by Tottenham and transferred to Genoa until the end of the season.
Michael Bridge: Spence should be commended for moving to Genoa
Spence, who Brian Laws called “electric pace” in a piece for The Athletic, doesn’t seem to have much of a future at Tottenham, according to Bridge, who plans to return to north London in the summer. The 6-foot defender has received praise from the Sky Sports presenter for trying to “try something else.” As Bridge stated to GIVEMESPORT:
“Unless things change, Spence doesn’t have a future at Tottenham. I think we can say that quite clearly. But, credit him if he’s been persuaded to go to Genoa. Many players might want to sit on their backsides, stay in London, and wait until the summer. At least he’s making the effort to try something else. It’s not easy to go to Genoa. So, I’m sure Spurs wish him all the best, and I think they’ve done well to get this deal.”
News on alternative departures for c
Tottenham has already made good use of the 2024 winter window, obtaining both Dragusin‘s signing and Timo Werner, a forward from RB Leipzig, on loan until the end of the current campaign. Spence, meanwhile, is probably not the only player Spurs are eager to let go over the next several months as they continue to assemble a team in the style of Postecoglou.
This summer, Eric Dier‘s contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will expire. He joined Bayern Munich on loan until the conclusion of the season. It will probably mark the end of a nine and a half-year career spent in north London with Mauricio Pochettino‘s team, which advanced to the 2019 Champions League final.
On January 8, Football Insider reported that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, a midfielder for Tottenham, had failed in his transfer from the Premier League team to Juventus. The Serie A powerhouses are said to have objected to the loan amount that Spurs wanted and would now focus their efforts elsewhere.
Tottenham will host Manchester City in the FA Cup Fourth Round on the 26th, following their trip to Manchester United. The Lilywhites are seeking to advance to the next round of the cup and retain their stellar home record against Pep Guardiola’s team.
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