Leeds United signed Spence from Tottenham in the summer, but an untimely injury forced him out for 11 games just weeks after the start of the season. Upon his return, he found it increasingly difficult to find a place in the starting eleven, with Archie Gray, Luke Ayling and Jamie Shackleton ahead of him.
Injuries at left-back soon presented an opportunity, but after starting six games at left-back he was substituted in all six games. The 23-year-old didn’t necessarily do enough to earn a place in the team and the Whites soon terminated his loan.
In an interview that appeared in The Daily Mail, manager Daniel Farke appears to have questioned the player’s attitude, citing his “professionalism”, “discipline”, “workload” as factors in the decision, but also questioning his “positivity” and commitment.
However, according to Romanov, Spence could be back on the road almost immediately. With Spurs reportedly bidding for Genoa defender Radu Dragusin, the former Leeds United loanee could be sent in the opposite direction.
Serie A club Genoa are in talks to sign Djed Spence, it has been revealed. The right-back returned to his parent club Tottenham Hotspur last week after an unsuccessful loan spell at Leeds United.
England Under-21 international Spence was originally due to spend the 2023/24 season at Elland Road. But the Whites cut short his injury-hit loan period, and Spence only racked up seven appearances.
Whites manager Daniel Farke said: “We’ve analysed the first half of the season, particularly the impressions we’ve made over the festive period. When you’re making a decision in January, it’s obviously not a short-term decision.
“We wanted to take into account the impressions from the festive period, to exchange thoughts and talk about things. We came to the conclusion that we would finish the loan for Djed [Spence] and that he would come back to Tottenham.
“We are grateful for his time with us and we wish him all the best at Tottenham because he is a player with great potential and he is a cool guy with a really good heart.”
Reports in Italy suggest that Spurs are close to agreeing a deal to sign Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin for a fee of around €25 million plus add-ons and that Spence would be part of the deal. Spence, who helped Nottingham Forest secure promotion to the Premier League in 2022, is expected to join the Italian side on loan until the end of the season.
Tottenham are keen to seal a deal for Dragusin as soon as possible, with Bayern Munich and Napoli also said to be big admirers of the player.