Emerson Royal‘s much-awaited departure from Tottenham has opened up a void on the right-hand side of their defence.
While Spurs have deputies in Pedro Porro and the young Archie Gray, they have also been linked with the likes of Vanderson of AS Monaco in recent days to fill that Royal-shaped hole, who is valued by the Ligue 1 side at €40 million (£34.2 million).
However, if Ange Postecoglou is to be believed, the Lilywhites are unlikely to bring in a right fullback this term.
Ange Postecoglou happy to stick with Djed Spence amidst Vanderson links
Despite the Vanderson links, Ange Postecoglou is happy to keep Djed Spence in the Tottenham setup for this season, having been left impressed by the 24-year-old in the pre-season.
Speaking to Football London recently, Postecoglou spoke effusively about how impressed he was left by the former Middlesbrough player.
“I think with Djed, for me we got him back into pre-season and we’re judging him on his merits. He’s a Tottenham player. To be fair to him, I think he’s been very, very good for us this pre-season, in terms of the way he’s trained and his general attitude.
“But a lot of these things are in the players’ hands themselves. They kind of decide their own future in many respects and I think Djed is in that boat.
“I think there’s an opportunity for him here, for sure. Thinking about building a squad, he would be definitely somebody who could [contribute] with the attributes he has. I thought last year there was a chance but it didn’t quite work out. For those kind of things, I think sometimes players really wait for direction when they can really take control of their own direction.
“Djed’s here. He is a Spurs player. He’s a very good player who fits into our football and so it’s as much about him as it is about me making a decision.”
It hasn’t been easy sailing for Spence ever since his arrival at Hotspur Way two summers ago in a £12.5m move with £7.5 million committed towards add-ons. He has turned out for Spurs just six times and has been out on loan at Rennes, Leeds United, and Genoa.
A fair call
Spurs don’t need another right-fullback. In Gray, Porro, and Spence, they have got themselves covered.
Of course, Spence is relatively unproven in the English topflight, but with Postecoglou having been impressed with him we are likely to see him get some chances this time round.
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And, given the way Postecoglou likes his fullbacks to operate, Spence should be able to stake a claim for himself in the starting XI.
