A year ago, we at Carty Free Towers were wondering if Djed Spence would be sold. Today he is a Europa League champion and an important part of Tottenham Hotspur’s rotation. What a difference a year makes.
Spence, unwanted, unplayed, was coming off of a horrific season on loan last season, first to Leeds United where he suffered a knee injury and missed three months, and then at Genoa in Serie A. Genoa utilized him well and were interested in keeping him but were unable to afford his £8.5m option. Signed in 2022 from Middlesbrough for £20m, Spence looked like a promising young player, despite clashing with then-Boro head coach Neil Warnock. He was impressive enough on loan at Nottingham Forest the prior season to catch Tottenham’s eye as they looked for quality depth at fullback.
But Spence also had a reputation of being moody, difficult to work with, and at times petulant. It didn’t help that Antonio Conte never gave him a sniff, calling him a “club signing” in public, something Spence later said “shattered his confidence.” A lot of people wrote him off as another Marcus Edwards, a player with a poor attitude who would never make it at Spurs.
It took extraordinary circumstances for Spence to break through this season. He was used sparingly by Ange Postecoglou in the first part of the season, but proved himself to Ange in the first few months through his work rate, training, and determination, enough that he earned a contract extension in October.
Here’s what Ange said in the wake of Djed’s new deal:
“I said a couple of days ago and consistently say, most of a players future is in their own hands. They’re as much in control as anyone else. I think sometimes footballers forget that. With Djed, it could have been easy for to go out on loan again. But when he came into preseason, he was determined to make a career for himself here at Tottenham rather than wait to be loaned out.
“He did everything right in training, his attitude was great. He’s a good footballer, I think the way we play suits him and he’s knuckled down to that. And he’s earned himself a spot on the roster in our squad.”
Even so, Spence didn’t make his first Premier League start this season until mid-December, with Spurs in the throes of a massive injury crisis. He played well in the 5-0 win over Southampton and became a regular part of Tottenham’s rotation, both in the league and in the Europa League, after being left out of the squad in the first half of the season. Spence started 10 of Spurs’ last 11 league matches, frequently as a left back, and established himself not just as quality depth, but as a player who can potentially challenge Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie for quality minutes.
Redemption stories don’t seem to happen often in football, and that’s why it’s been so much fun watching Djed’s arc this season. He was given a chance by Postecoglou, but he also redeemed himself through hard work and perseverance. He has what looks like a bright future at Tottenham ahead of him and got to celebrate lifting a Europa League trophy at the end of the season. You can see it in his face, in his attitude, and in his incredible swagger. This is a guy enjoying his football.
Who would’ve thought that last June?
Commentariat Choice: Lucas Bergvall
I have to say I’m a little surprised by this — the Commentariat has chosen and has chosen Lucas Bergvall, who also nabbed the Young Player of the Season award. Not that Lucas hasn’t improved — he has, remarkably, and thanks to that same injury crisis that gave Spence his big chance. Lucas will be an important part of Tottenham’s squad next season and has every chance of nailing down a starting role, which is impressive considering he was playing in the Swedish league a year ago.
But at least for me, Bergvall’s “breakout” doesn’t have quite the same impact as Spence. Bergvall came in as a highly-touted, if young and inexperienced, attacking midfielder. I wonder if there’s a bit of recency bias happening here — Lucas didn’t start to really kick on until near the end of the season in the Europa League and just before his unfortunate foot injury. He may have come closer to realizing his potential faster than we expected, but it didn’t feel as much of a surprise. But whatever.
Spence came in an easy second place according to Carty Free readers, with Archie Gray a distant third.