There is reportedly a ‘growing expectation’ that Arsenal can get a transfer deal done for exciting young full-back Djed Spence this month, according to the Daily Mirror.
The 21-year-old looks a huge talent and had a particularly impressive performance for Nottingham Forest in their recent 1-0 FA Cup third round victory over Arsenal, which prompted Gunners legend Ian Wright to approach him afterwards to lavish him with praise.
According to the Mirror, Arsenal could have competition for Spence, but it seems the north London giants are serious about adding more young English talents to their squad, with right-back a possible area in need of strengthening after Hector Bellerin went out on loan to Real Betis this season, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles also recently left for a loan move to Roma.
Spence could be a fine signing to compete with Takehiro Tomiyasu for the right-back spot in Mikel Arteta’s side, and it seems AFC great Wright is a huge fan of what he’s seen of the player, who is on loan at Forest from Middlesbrough.
“I saw him after the game and said ‘listen, my friend. You’re on loan from Middlesbrough and I don’t know what’s happened there, because if you can’t get into the Middlesbrough side, I don’t know what’s wrong, so I need to know the full story’,” he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
“But let me say, that was one of the best right back performances I have seen for a very long time. A very long time.
“If we are talking about right-backs performing at an unbelievable level, we’re talking Reece James and Trent (Alexander-Arnold).
“But I have not seen a combative, technical, swashbuckling performance like that for a very long time.
“I said to him afterwards, ‘whatever’s happening, whatever you’re doing, the level you’ve just shown us here is the level you have to be consistently hitting, Djed’.”