With Tottenham Hotspur looking to appoint a new manager, whoever it may be will have a big decision to make regarding the future of right-back Djed Spence.
Spence joined Spurs last summer from Championship outfit Middlesbrough for £20 million on a five-year-deal, meaning his contract will expire on June 2027.
His time in North London seemed almost doomed before it really got started, previous boss Antonio Conte admitted that the full-back was not someone he wanted to sign.
In his words, “the club wanted to do it” as quoted by TalkSport. Not exactly very encouraging words for your new summer signing.
When he was on loan at Nottingham Forest from Boro, he showcased plenty of talent. In April last year, he picked up the Young Player and Goal of the Month awards.
In January, Tottenham agreed to loan out the 22-year-old to Ligue 1 side Rennes until the end of the season. Prior to the loan move, he’d only played four league matches in very brief cameos.
Out in France, the Englishman certainly got a lot more minutes but still only played in eight league games.
Having said that, he did sustain an injury which did limit his game time. The former Boro ace has returned to North London as he’s been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Spurs’ new manager will have to make a big decision on his future, the club already has Pedro Porro and the currently sidelined Emerson Royal who can play in that position.
Selling Spence could prove to be tricky as he’s still got a long time left on his contract, which would potentially make him fairly expensive for any potential suitors.
Perhaps the best course of action is another loan move, preferably to another Premier League side. That way he can get a consistent run of games in England’s top flight and prove to whoever’s in charge that he has a long-term future with Tottenham.