Martin Lipton of The Sun has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur do not think Djed Spence will return to the club.
There was much excitement 18 months ago at Tottenham’s acquisition of Spence as the Lilywhites signed the youngster, who proved his worth in a breakthrough season when he was loaned out to Nottingham Forest in the Championship.
Although the talent of the right-sided defender was there for all to see, there were rumours of attitude problems back in the Middlesbrough days and Neil Warnock hinted a few years ago that the youngster could find himself in non-league if he didn’t improve his behaviour (The Express).
Those problems resurfaced during the 23-year-old’s loan spell at Elland Road, with Daniel Farke admitting that Leeds’ decision to terminate the right-back’s loan early was due to disciplinary problems (Joe Donnohue).
In the last few weeks, it has emerged that Ange Postecoglou has not been impressed with Spence’s behaviour since pre-season, as doubts have been raised about his punctuality and attitude in training (The Standard).
The young full-back has joined Genoa on loan until the end of the season, but the Italian club have the option to sign him permanently in the summer for £8.5 million (Fabrizio Romano).
Djed Spence will not return to Tottenham Hotspur:
Lipton revealed that, according to his information, this is the last time we will see Spence in a Tottenham jersey.
He told The Spurs Show podcast. It seems there have been problems. I’ve heard things that suggest he still has a lot of maturity to find, let’s say.”
Although Postecoglou’s football philosophy is quite different from Mourinho’s and Conte’s, the Australian has probably proved to be even more disciplined than his predecessors.
His treatment of Ndombele and Spence shows that he values the character of the players above all and does not tolerate anyone who does not give 100 per cent in training.