Tottenham have signed Djed Spence from Middlesbrough on a five-year deal on a deal worth up to £ 20 million.
The right-back, who on Friday completed a medical examination at Hotspur Way, has signed until June 2027 after the Spurs reached an agreement that will make them pay £ 12.5m initial, with £ 7.5m more in related supplements with performance. ons.
The 21-year-old made 46 appearances on loan at Nottingham Forest last season and there was a possibility he would have joined Steve Cooper’s team with a permanent deal this summer.
But Spence has become the Spurs’ sixth major signing of the season, following the arrival of Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and the late Clement Lenglet.
Image: Djed Spence has signed a five-year deal with Tottenham after sealing his move from Middlesbrough
“Playing in the Premier League and for a great club like Tottenham is a dream come true,” Spence said on Tottenham’s official website.
“I am grateful to be here and to have the opportunity to play for the club. It is a privilege to be here.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the players, the squad and obviously the coach and training with the team.
“I’m a very cold character, I’m very humble. It’s all football with me, I’ve dedicated my whole life to it.
“I will bring excitement, skill, speed. I just want to excite the fans and play well.”
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Mark McAdam details the latest information on Djed Spence’s move to Tottenham and predicts what he will bring alongside London.
Since Antonio Conte’s side secured Champions League football on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, Tottenham have changed direction in the transfer window and have moved quickly to form a team capable of challenging on multiple fronts for next season.
London-born Spence went through Fulham academy before moving to Middlesbrough in 2018, but saw his time at Teesside interrupted by the club’s lack of managerial stability.
Spence was signed by Boro during Tony Pulis’ tenure, but got his first steady career under the direction of former Tottenham center-back Jonathan Woodgate, who would be sacked after a year in the summer of 2020.
Next coach Neil Warnock used the versatile defender regularly during the 2020/21 campaign, but let him go ahead and sign for Forest on a temporary basis last season.
Spence’s form at City Ground earned him England Under-21 recognition as he helped his loaned club move up to the championship play-offs in May.
The Spurs are really building something
Sky Sports News journalist Dharmesh Sheth:
Tottenham fans should be thinking, ‘what’s going on in this transfer window,’ because they’re usually used to waiting until the last week or deadline to complete their signings.
“But there has been a real push from Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici to say, ‘We want to do our business soon, now we’re in the Champions League and a different market than we had before.’
“When you look at the six signings they have made, this is becoming the Tottenham of Conte and Paratici. The signing of a player like Ivan Perisic is a signing that Conte would have pushed, Fraser Forster is the cover of Hugo Lloris.
“It looks like Clement Lenglet’s loan signing means he has another defense in mind. Conte could have an eye on Alessandro Bastoni’s contract situation at Inter Milan.
“Maybe if he doesn’t sign a new deal, they can reach him next summer. The Spurs are really building something.”
Image: Djed Spence impressed on loan at Nottingham Forest last season
How did Spence go to the championship last season?
Dan Long from Sky Sports:
At the start of last season, Djed Spence had already set to work to establish himself as a mainstay of the Middlesbrough team. He had made 60 appearances in the championship before the age of 21 and was impressive along the way.
But then, seemingly discovered, he was ceded to rivals in the Nottingham Forest division, with Isaiah Jones favored as right-back by then-Boro boss Neil Warnock. It was at City Ground that it became hot property.
He surprised Reds fans with his intent to attack, a dizzying pace, his ability to cross and his inclination for a shot from distance – he won the goal of the month of the Sky Bet championship in March. but he also proved that he is not a one-trick pony with some impressive defensive demonstrations. also – by context, Forest kept 17 goals in the 39 league games he played, not counting the playoffs.
Image: Djed Spence was one of the best performing players in the league last season
It was during the race in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup that he began to arouse the interest of several Premier League teams, with Arsenal and Spurs among those who were said to be interested at the time.
Of course, there is a lot of room for improvement given his age, but it must be said that the loan spell could not have come out much better than he did. He also broke into the England Under-21 team as a direct result.
Following Forest’s final play-off victory over Huddersfield in May, Spence tweeted Warnock a photo of himself in the Wembley locker room, a cigar in his mouth, a scarf on his head and the trophy on his feet, apparently pointing to a excavation. to its former manager.
“Well done, Djed, I said you were in the Premier League or not in the league,” he replied. “I’m glad you listened and heeded my advice. Now go and enjoy your success.”
Something that started as a career board has become a reality as Spence will start in 2022/23 as a Premier League player.
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