North London outfit Tottenham has secured the services of Middlesbrough’s highly-touted 21-year-old England youth international Djed Spence, kicking off their summer transfer plans.
As reported in the Guardian, Spence will now join Tottenham after Spurs splashed a reported ~£20million for the 21-year-old, giving popular boss Antonio Conte his third completed deal of the summer as Tottenham looks to close the gap to Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
Tottenham agree deal to buy Djed Spence from Middlesbrough https://t.co/xNkKjQ0JQW
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 10, 2022
Spence enjoyed a highly-successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest during the 2021-22 Championship season, where his 50-combined appearances across all competitions helped Forest climb back into the Premier League next season after seeing their way past Huddersfield in the playoff final in a 1-0 win.
A native of London, Spence was named to the EFL Team of the season after his general superb all-around play under manager Steve Cooper (which included 2-goals and 5-assists in the league) played a pivotal role for Forest, who were keen to bring the youngster back to the club in a full deal this summer.
Tottenham can now boast three summer signings after the club also secured free moves for veteran Croatian star Ivan Perišić as well as Fraser Forster.
But Spurs are expected to continue with their recruitment program after adding Spence to the first team squad under Conte, with growing links to Juventus’ United States international star Weston McKennie.
Tottenham have already successfully dealt with club director of football Fabio Paratici’s former club on two occasions recently, with moves for Swedish international Dejan Kulusevski and Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur coming off expertly during the January window as both loanees played crucial roles in Spurs finishing just ahead of bitter rivals Arsenal for the final Champions League spot in the Premier League table.
Though Emerson Royal would currently sit ahead of Spence in the squad depth chart, the talented English youngster could well push for a place ahead of the Brazilian international in the near future given the level of his performances at the City Ground last season.
