Red Djed Redemption. Return of the Djedi. The Walking Djed. Call it what you like but, in a season of few success stories at Tottenham, Djed Spence’s emergence as a key player is the feelgood story of the campaign. He even scored his first goal in the Premier League at the weekend.
“A kid who had the wildest dreams to play in the Premier League. A kid who had the wildest dreams to score in the Premier League. That dream came true. Never stop believing,” wrote Spence on Instagram after Tottenham’s 4-1 win against Ipswich at Portman Road. Given the first two years of his time at Spurs, that dream did not seem likely to come true this season.
Ange Postecoglou admits he was unconvinced by Spence earlier this season so tested him to see if he would show the right attitude. “I didn’t make it easy for him,” said the Tottenham manager last week. “It’s not like I said to him: ‘Djed, you’re here, we love you, stay.’ I purposefully made it difficult for him – to see, when he wasn’t playing or part of squads, how he was training and reacting to things.
“He was always engaged and that made an impression on everyone – me, the coaches, his teammates – and from then on, it’s just been all about him. All I did was say: ‘You’ve earned a shot at it, here it is.’ He’s been brilliant. The penny drops at different times for different players. He’s an outstanding player. I’m super pleased we’ve still got him. The credit lies with him and the beneficiaries are us, the football club, but for him the challenge now is: don’t settle for that, push on. He can be a top, top player.”
Spence joined Tottenham in the summer of 2022 on the back of a standout season on loan with Nottingham Forest in the Championship, where he proved hugely influential as they won the playoffs and earned promotion back to the top flight. Spence made 46 appearances for Forest that season, earning a call-up to the England Under-21s in the process. Spurs paid Middlesbrough £20m for Spence and handed him a five-year deal, so it looked like he would play as a wing-back for Antonio Conte. It did not work out like that; he would have to wait more than two years to start a game for the club.
In a season that promised much but ultimately delivered little, neither Spence nor Conte saw out the campaign at the club. The manager left in March 2023 but not before he damned Spence with the faint praise of being a “signing the club wanted” and sent him on loan to Rennes. With Pedro Porro arriving from Sporting as Spence left for France, it looked as if his days at Spurs were numbered.
For 18 months, Spence was lost in the wilderness and seemed destined for the journeyman lifestyle. Loan spells at Leeds and Genoa failed to have the desired effect. The Italian side were prepared to sign him permanently but did not offer Spurs enough money to secure a deal. It was a sliding doors moment for both player and club. In the weeks and months since, he has gone from disposable to indispensable.
With Spurs suffering a raft of injuries across their backline, Spence was given his chance. He made his first start for the club in the 5-0 win at Southampton in December, starting at right-back before moving to left-back due to injury to Destiny Udogie. He provided the assist for James Maddison’s opener after just 36 seconds. It was the moment he, and supporters, had been waiting for.
Spence has now started nine of Spurs’ last 11 league games, only missing the draw with Wolves due to suspension and the 2-1 loss to Leicester due to injury. Spurs might have won both had he been available, such has been his impact. He has also proven versatile – he even helped out at centre-back for 45 minutes against Newcastle at the turn of the year.
What stands out about the 24-year-old is his desire to get the ball at his feet and attack opponents, a quality that has been missing among Spurs players this season. Injuries have not helped, of course, but Spurs have lacked a player who is willing to take on defenders. He has completed 2.5 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, the most of any defender in the league and the 12th highest of all regular players.
He’s a forward-thinking full-back who helps Spurs transition quickly from defence to attack. Considering only Liverpool (12) have scored more counterattacking goals than Spurs (10) in the league this season, it’s a vital trait. Spence offers a crucial alternative to the other full-backs at Postecoglou’s disposal. Whereas Porro’s best quality is his desire to get the ball into the box to create chances for teammates, and Udogie is a crucial physical presence in the final third who allows for quick turnovers in attack, Spence uses his speed on the ball to take on opponents.
Spence’s end product isn’t perhaps at Porro’s level, but he brings a similar combativeness as Udogie. His tackle success rate is 90.6% – of the 223 players who have attempted 35 or more tackles in the league this season, only Wolves player Toti Gomes has won a higher percentage of his challenges (93%). Spence’s tackling combined with the ease with which he can ghost past opponents means he offers something different. Ian Wright’s recent description of Spence as “swashbuckling” is apt.
Spurs welcome Manchester City to north London on Wednesday night on a run of three straight wins. Earlier in the season Postecoglou would have been reluctant to pick Spence against the defending champions. However, he is now the player driving the team forwards.
Source: theguardian.com
