Journalist Paul Brown has told GiveMeSport that he ‘cannot see’ Tottenham Hotspur selling Djed Spence in the January transfer window – not even on loan.
Spence joined Spurs last summer, signing from Middlesbrough for a fee of £20m. The 22-year-old had spent the majority of last season on loan in the Championship with Nottingham Forest.
Since the switch to north London, Spence has only made three league appearances and has yet to start a Premier League match. He’s only averaged around three minutes per game in that time, according to Sofascore.
And speaking about a possible move for Spence in January, Brown said: “I doubt if they would even allow him a loan move in January, but I suppose that is more likely than him leaving on a permanent, which I cannot see in a million years.”
TIF Thoughts on Brown’s comments…
This would come as a bit of a surprise, as previous claims had suggested the Lilywhites were supposedly open to letting him go in the January transfer window.
We believe that a loan move could actually be very beneficial for Spence when the January transfer window opens.
It’s clear from the lack of appearances this season that Antonio Conte doesn’t have him in his future plans. Both Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty are clearly ahead of him in the pecking order, as the duo both have more league appearances than Spence this season.
Spence did well last season in the Championship with Forest, and those performances are likely what led the club to sign him in the summer. He picked up six goal contributions in the 2021/22 league campaign and helped them win the play-off final to achieve promotion.
Perhaps another team in the Premier League will look to offer him more of a chance on a short-term loan. The best way for him to get experience in England’s top flight is if he actually gets opportunities to play.
It would be silly to sell Spence permanently in January as he’s only been at the club since the summer. £20m is a lot of money spent on a 22-year-old, and we feel he deserves a loan opportunity to prove to Conte that he should be worthy of selection in the long term.