Tottenham Hotspur outcast Djed Spence has responded to the criticism he’s faced from a previous manager and provided an update on his transfer plans.
Spurs splashed out a fee of around £20m to sign Spence from Championship side Middlesbrough during the 2022 summer transfer window. This deal came about after the defender’s superb loan spell at Nottingham Forest resulted in them getting promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs.
“I wasn’t really enjoying myself.
He has only made six appearances for Tottenham in all competitions since 2022, thus this transfer has not gone as planned for any of the parties involved.
When Spence joined Tottenham, Antonio Conte was the manager, and the Italian made it plain that he wasn’t the one who signed the player. In an interview with The Athletic, the 23-year-old now acknowledged that he didn’t “have a relationship” with the head coach.
“I didn’t have a great time. I went there and I didn’t play, so obviously it was hard for me. When you sign somewhere as a player for a big club, you want to be filled with confidence and welcomed with open arms, as I was, but it just didn’t feel right when I went there. Things didn’t go well as I planned,” Spence said.
“When you don’t get a chance, there’s not much you can do as a player. You get lost, you’re not playing, it’s hard to get a rhythm again. It’s never easy going to a new environment when things don’t go well but it’s part of the game. It’s a learning experience.”
When asked about Conte saying he was a “club signing”, Spence answered: “I didn’t really have a relationship with him, to be honest.
“He’s a coach that has his way. I don’t think he has much of a relationship with his players. It’s come into training and train — and that’s pretty much it.”
“I want to be a big part of the plan…”
Spence had spells on loan at Rennes and Leeds United before he joined Genoa during the January transfer window. Without him, Spurs have been loving life under Ange Postecoglou and he “wants to play” for the Premier League club.
“I want to play for Tottenham,” Spence said. “I want to be a big part of the plan but we’ve got to see how things go, have a discussion with the manager and everyone.
“It’s a big difference with the new manager, I did pre-season with him — he’s a good guy, he has good training sessions, he likes to play football, it’s a new environment at the club. I think everyone’s enjoying it and doing well, I’m pleased for them.
He added: “I don’t think the Tottenham fans know me as a player. They’ve probably seen me from Forest days but I haven’t played so they don’t know what I’m capable of.
“The best is yet to come. Wherever I’ll be, I can hit the ground running and show everyone what I’m capable of doing.”
Spence’s stint at Leeds ended prematurely and manager Daniel Farke has subsequently questioned the defender’s professionalism. In response, he has argued that this issue has been “blown out of proportion”.
“I don’t think that’s fair at all,” Spence said in response to Farke. “I don’t necessarily agree with what they said. But in football, this is how it is: you have to keep your head down, keep going and eventually prove people wrong.
“Some of it is a bit blown out of proportion. You can be late once and if you’re not playing, it’s a problem, and if you are playing, then it’s not a problem.”
