Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race to land Middlesbrough’s talented young star Djed Spence in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to Goal, Tottenham Hotspur are at the front of the queue of suitors keeping close tabs on Middlesbrough’s highly-rated right-back Djed Spence heading into the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old came through the ranks at Fulham before moving to the Riverside Stadium in 2018. Later that year, he made his senior debut for Middlesbrough and is currently on loan at Championship side Nottingham Forest. He continues to impress at the City Ground and has made 32 appearances for the club across all competitions this season, scoring twice and assisting three more.
Spence has, in particular, caught the eye with his performances for Nottingham in the FA Cup. In successive rounds, the Championship side stunned Arsenal and defending champions Leicester City, earning themselves a spot in the fifth round against Huddersfield Town.
Tottenham, for their part, have been long term admirers of the 21-year-old and even made an unsuccessful attempt to secure his signature last January. Despite failing to drive home the interest, Spurs continue to keep a close eye on the youngster’s developments and appear to have landed themselves in the driving seat regarding a potential deal.
However, the Lilywhites should not take anything for granted, given the teams entering the fray for Spence’s services. Bayern Munich have added their name to the list of potential suitors, along with Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, and Inter Milan.
It is clear that Spence is no diamond in the rough anymore, and the more he plays, the better the chances of even more sides entering the fray. This does not augur well for Tottenham, given their experience in the 2022 January transfer window. The club made initial overtures for Adama Traore and Luis Diaz, only for Barcelona and Liverpool to swoop in and steal the players from right under their noses.
Bringing in a new right-back is a priority for Conte as he looks to deploy his famed 3-5-2 system at Tottenham. Reliable wing-backs who excel at both ends of the pitch are a key component of the Italian’s tactics, and as things stand, he lacks the same at N-17.
Matt Doherty hasn’t quite hit the same levels he showed at Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Emerson Royal has been all smoke without fire. The club had intended to deploy Traore in just that role had they signed him in January. They will do well to ensure that Spence, at the very least, eventually makes his way to north London.
The youngster’s contract at Middlesbrough expires in 2024, and he has since played down speculation regarding a future transfer. The 21-year-old appears to be keeping his cards close to his chest, and it remains to be seen where he will end up once his loan spell ends next summer.