Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to cut their losses and sell £20 million-purchase Djed Spence in January after Leeds United terminated his loan spell.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to listen to offers for Djed Spence after he failed to make a positive impression at Leeds United as the Lilywhites’ look to raise cash to back Ange Postecoglou in the transfer market and bring in further reinforcements to bolster his squad.
Spence joined Spurs in a £12.5 million deal, rising to £20 million back in the summer window of 2022. The move came on the back of Spence’s stellar campaign while on loan at Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough the season prior. The marauding right-back excelled in the wing-back role and was also named in the Championship team of the season as Forest clinched promotion through the play-offs.
Spence, on the other hand, had very little playing time in his debut season at Tottenham. The defender was then sent on loan to Ligue 1 side Rennes for the second part of the 2022–23 season before being dispatched again, this time to Leeds United for the ongoing season.
To the surprise of many, Leeds abruptly cut the loan stint short at the halfway mark, with the player not featuring in manager Daniel Farke’s plans. Spence sustained the injury during a training session shortly after his arrival at Elland Road in the summer, which certainly hampered his progression as he made just seven Championship appearances.
However, Farke claimed that attitude problems were at the heart of Spence’s spell, with Leeds being cut short in a damning verdict on Spence’s tenure at Elland Road. Now, according to the Football Insider, Tottenham have opted to put Spence immediately up for permanent sale.
The outlet states that stance has been taken after Spurs chiefs were caught aback by Leeds’ decision to end the loan due to concerns over his “professionalism” and “discipline.”
At 23, Spence is at the age where he should be playing regularly and gaining experience. He is nowhere close to doing that at Spurs, despite all the injuries and absences due to the 2023 AFCON and the AFC Asian Cup.
Although Spurs are now ready to offload Spence permanently for good and recoup a part of their initial investment in the wing-back, they may struggle to find a suitor for the attack-minded wing-back following recent revelations.
