This week saw Tottenham Hotspur finally confirm the signing of Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence.
Talks between Daniel Levy’s Lilywhites and the Championship club rumbled on for several weeks but a deal worth an initial £13.2m, rising to a potential £20m, was finally agreed.
After already bringing in Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona, Spence’s recently completed transfer has made him Antonio Conte’s sixth summer signing.
However, speaking to reporters recently about the 21-year-old’s big move, Conte surprisingly admitted that bringing the London-born full-back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was not his decision.
“Spence is an investment of the club,’ Conte said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“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.”
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Although some fans may question why their club purchased a player the manager wasn’t determined to sign, it does show just how organised things are behind the scenes.
Chairman Daniel Levy and sporting director Fabio Paratici are obviously working to relieve Conte of some recruitment responsibility and that is usually a good sign that everyone is pulling together in order to achieve the same goals.
As for Spence, although we don’t know for sure if he’ll be a success, with big question marks lingering over both Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal, the young defender may end up getting his chance to impress sooner than he thinks.