Djed Spence: Who Is Spurs’s New Defender?
Mumbai: Djed Spence is an English right-back, who has recently signed for Tottenham Hotspur from second division club Middlesbrough. The English Under-21 international impressed last season on loan at Nottingham Forest after the Middlesbrough manager at the time, Neil Warnock, said Spence had an “attitude problem” and would either be “Premier League or non-league”. However, it seems he’s proven Neil Warnock wrong, and has sealed a move to an ambitious club. But who is he and will he start for “The Lilywhites”?
The energetic full-back spent last season at Nottingham Forest, where he had the freedom of the right side in the Championship. When Steve Cooper took over the club on September 21st, Forest was languishing in the lower ranks of the Championship. But Cooper has proved to be a revolutionary appointment, hauling the team to fourth and a promotion (via the play-offs) very few had seen coming. Djed Spence was a crucial part of that promotion push. While he may have only contributed 2 goals and 4 assists, identical stats to right wing-back rival Matt Doherty (who has played only 15 games compared to Spence’s 42), he is exceptional in other aspects. He created 6 big chances, while Doherty only created 3, and the other Spurs right wing-back, Emerson Royal, just created one.
Again, to compare Spurs’s three right wing-backs, Spence got on the ball more, getting an average of 63.7 touches per match. This far exceeds Doherty’s 44.4 touches per match and Emerson’s 59.7 touches per match. However, he can judiciously balance attack and defense, and it shows in his defensive stats. He made an average of 1.5 interceptions per game and 1.4 tackles per game. To compare, Doherty made 0.9 interceptions per game, and 1.2 tackles per game. Emerson, on the other hand, made 0.7 interceptions per game, and made 2.3 tackles per game.
Despite being the only listed wide player in Forest’s 3-5-2 system, Spence seldom drifted central to help his midfield or be a short pass option for them. He also rarely drifted inside from the right, leading to him not being an unseen back post option for crosses from the left. This is a skill that Matt Doherty possesses, and frequently uses.
In conclusion, what Conte does with his right side is still to be seen, whether he’ll trust the big money signing of Emerson, the offensive guise of Doherty, or the unproven but promising option of Spence throughout the upcoming season.