Player Watch - Djed Spence - Genoa

[djhotspur]

Such as who for right wing back? There simply aren't many top options out there in this position. Nearly every option is a gamble and here are the stats for RWBs we have been linked to or are potentially on the market:

League only
Frimpong (22 years old) 6 assists
Spence (21 years old) 4 assists
Singo (21 years old) 4 assists
Dumfries (26 years old) 4 assists
Lamptey (21 years old) 2 assists
Maehle (25 years old) 1 assist


Funnily enough that order would probably be the order I'd go for them in preference.

Yup, plus all the good RWB/RBs in the prem are young players who were unproven not that long ago. Sometimes we have to take a risk.

 

[Cochraam]

I wasn't high on Spence when we were first getting linked, but a lot of the discussion here and the scouting thread makes me think he'd be a really good option. Part of the reason is that all the feasible RWB targets seem to be young, talented, but with question marks, so we might as well move for the one who is home-grown and (supposedly) affordable, too. He's got plenty of pace and the raw attributes, so it makes sense to let Conte and his staff mold him into a great RWB (which they have plenty of history doing).

One other thing is I wouldn't be surprised to see us go into next year with five WBs, so keeping Sess, Royal, Doherty, and adding Kostic and Spence. With 5 subs, I think we can expect one or both wingbacks to be subbed at 60-70 minutes, so having 5 (and Doherty being able to play both LWB and RWB), means we would have cover and depth and the ability to sub/rotate even when one or two are injured.

 

[Cochise]

Frimpong would be amazing, but he's had a big injury IIRC. Spence makes a lot of sense given he has a decent base level, age on his side and is homegrown. I favour him over Singo who is probably more athletic but from the footage I've seen, way behind technically.

 

[allpaths]

I like buying Spence this year before he gets to the prem and his price tag triples. Djed has played at a high level for quite a while and has traversed the hardship, the ups and downs of being a pro and come out the better for it seemingly. It's a good punt.

 

[kremlyn]

He's a monster. Very much in the mould of a rampaging perisic and hakimi. Definitely has quality too. He's physically perfect and the best out there for the job. The only questions are around his attitude but he has been outstanding for Forest so you could assume he has matured on loan this year.

Easily my favourite for the rwb role.

 

[daveduvet]

Somebody else mentioned where is the evidence of his ‘poor’ attitude - and I agree. I doubt very much his attitude would be poor stepping into a spurs dressing room with our players and Conte at the helm.
If a player is contacted by Paratici, then they know they’re onto a good thing, with the chance to increase their current ability - were they to sign for us. Only a fool of the highest order would kick that opportunity into the gutter.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Somebody else mentioned where is the evidence of his ‘poor’ attitude - and I agree. I doubt very much his attitude would be poor stepping into a spurs dressing room with our players and Conte at the helm.
If a player is contacted by Paratici, then they know they’re onto a good thing, with the chance to increase their current ability - were they to sign for us. Only a fool of the highest order would kick that opportunity into the gutter.

Yeah, that was me (and I think others have, too). What are the real issues here? Who did he aggrieve? Sounds like Neil Warnock talked about some past work that was needed on his attitude via “one-on-one conversations,” but he would have been 20 years old or so at the time.

Just did a quick search and Steve Cooper (who I think is an underrated manager) had some of these things to say about him:

“I am very fond of him. He is a sensible lad and you can tell that he cares a lot about the next game, about Forest – he loves Forest. You can see it in the way he plays. But, if you want to play in this team, you have to have that. He is very respectful. He is laid back, that is probably the right description of him. But when you get engaged in a conversation with him, he is a thoughtful character. He is like all young players, things are going well but there are still things he needs to improve on. I have not come across a 21-year-old yet who does not have parts of his game to work on. We love having him. Our job is to keep trying to get the best out of him.

 

[djhotspur]

Somebody else mentioned where is the evidence of his ‘poor’ attitude - and I agree. I doubt very much his attitude would be poor stepping into a spurs dressing room with our players and Conte at the helm.
If a player is contacted by Paratici, then they know they’re onto a good thing, with the chance to increase their current ability - were they to sign for us. Only a fool of the highest order would kick that opportunity into the gutter.

Literally, the guy is coming from the championship where he was loaned out as his parent club have a better young talent for a back 4.
if you come to spurs under conte, where you have Lloris, Kane and son in the dressing room and come with a poor attitude, then it’s curtains for you

 

[sausage]

Yeah, that was me (and I think others have, too). What are the real issues here? Who did he aggrieve? Sounds like Neil Warnock talked about some past work that was needed on his attitude via “one-on-one conversations,” but he would have been 20 years old or so at the time.

Just did a quick search and Steve Cooper (who I think is an underrated manager) had some of these things to say about him:

Neil Warnock has a vast amount of experience, and even knew how to handle the likes of Taarabt and various other talented 'dickheads' that have existed in the game.

He said this about him going off on loan to Forest, when he was asked about it on Talksport:

He said: "I let him go. He needed to sort himself out, really.

"I basically said to him that you can go to the top or you can go non-league.

"I think Steve Cooper is the manager for him, to be honest. He has let him go forward more often, which suits his game."

MIddlesbrough want him gone. That's telling us something.


He's very likely to be one of those that people will get a hard-on for, then will criticise the club when it turns out they have the mental strength of a 10 year old

 

[Majick]

That quote from Cooper is encouraging - and any issues Spence may have had once could just have been a kid maturing in real time. Plenty of stuff I did as a teenager I wouldn’t have wanted brought up a couple of years later, same as most people, I imagine!

 

[daveduvet]

That quote from Cooper is encouraging - and any issues Spence may have had once could just have been a kid maturing in real time. Plenty of stuff I did as a teenager I wouldn’t have wanted brought up a couple of years later, same as most people, I imagine!

Goodness me, yea. 20/21/22… dropping acid even though it did me no favours. Puffing relentlessly. Doing a shitty job role. Sometimes one has to go thru it to come out the other side and release what does or doesn’t work … wouldn’t wish it on anyone tho. FairPlay. He’s got an opportunity. Hope he pulls through and excels if he comes to us

 

[teddy1066]

Somebody else mentioned where is the evidence of his ‘poor’ attitude - and I agree. I doubt very much his attitude would be poor stepping into a spurs dressing room with our players and Conte at the helm.
If a player is contacted by Paratici, then they know they’re onto a good thing, with the chance to increase their current ability - were they to sign for us. Only a fool of the highest order would kick that opportunity into the gutter.

Only a fool of the highest order would cover 90% of all footballers

 

[spids]

Such as who for right wing back? There simply aren't many top options out there in this position. Nearly every option is a gamble and here are the stats for RWBs we have been linked to or are potentially on the market:

League only
Frimpong (22 years old) 6 assists
Spence (21 years old) 4 assists
Singo (21 years old) 4 assists
Dumfries (26 years old) 4 assists
Lamptey (21 years old) 2 assists
Maehle (25 years old) 1 assist


Funnily enough that order would probably be the order I'd go for them in preference.

You missed.... Doherty (2 goals, 4 assists in just 15 PL league appearances)

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

I see attitude problems associated a lot with Djed Spence but I’ve never actually seen any proof or articles, is there any?

Wasn’t it from the Middlesbrough fans and local news?

 

[sausage]

Wasn’t it from the Middlesbrough fans and local news?

Basically everyone associated with his parent club. Fans, Manager, local media. Even now, they're happy for him to be sold.

So odd seeing people spend the last year or so reflecting on Ndombele, but casually dismissing the analysis of another player with the same aura of issues

 

[Snarfalicious]

Basically everyone associated with his parent club. Fans, Manager, local media. Even now, they're happy for him to be sold.

So odd seeing people spend the last year or so reflecting on Ndombele, but casually dismissing the analysis of another player with the same aura of issues

I think people will generally be more willing to give a guy who cost £12m a chance to correct themselves (again, if he hasn’t already) then a club-record signing who was basically supposed to transform our side but couldn’t even be bothered to make any real effort. Comparing apples to oranges when you consider the risk vs reward of both.

 

[Timberwolf]

Basically everyone associated with his parent club. Fans, Manager, local media. Even now, they're happy for him to be sold.

So odd seeing people spend the last year or so reflecting on Ndombele, but casually dismissing the analysis of another player with the same aura of issues

Yeah, especially when RWB is a hugely important position for us. If Spence comes here and does a Kevin Prince Boateng on us, we're stuck with yet ANOTHER right back that we need to shift and will be relying on Doherty and/or Royal again.

I suppose, compared to Ndombele, the risk is a lot lower due to him costing about a fifth of the fee/wages, but there's still a considerable downside if he isn't mature enough to deal with the money and spotlight of playing at a top club.

Fingers crossed we'll due our due diligence this time and if we're not confident we won't punt on him. Equally, if we feel he's turned a corner at Forest and Conte feels he's the right fit then let's do it.

EDIT: Just saw the Cooper quote and that is much more encouraging. He was in the Championship team of the season so it's hardly like he's had any issue on the pitch this season at least.

 

[cider spurs]

Don't know about his attitude, but he's nowhere near the finished article yet. Hardly surprising given his age.

He'll have to work on the positional side of his game in both defence and attack. Certainly needs to get his head up a damn sight more in order to place the right cross and execute, and to pick the right pass.

At the moment he seems all about his pace, hopefully with Conte's input, other key areas of his game will improve.

Certainly reckon he's worth a punt, answer to all our rwb needs, most probably not from the get go.

Very interested to see how he does should we sign.

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

Basically everyone associated with his parent club. Fans, Manager, local media. Even now, they're happy for him to be sold.

So odd seeing people spend the last year or so reflecting on Ndombele, but casually dismissing the analysis of another player with the same aura of issues

Took the words out of my mouth. I have said on previous posts that he has not impressed me in his performances and he has not been getting rave reviews in the championship every week. So why does everyone think he is going to just jump into our squad and challenge Doherty and play in the Champs League? We need someone who is better than Doherty. But I also said I would keep my powder dry and trust Conte. But I do hope it is a smoke screen for somebody more experienced.

 

[sausage]

I think people will generally be more willing to give a guy who cost £12m a chance to correct themselves (again, if he hasn’t already) then a club-record signing who was basically supposed to transform our side but couldn’t even be bothered to make any real effort. Comparing apples to oranges when you consider the risk vs reward of both.

If we did sign him for £12m or so, and turned out to be crap, people would ask questions of it. Why a player with a questionable attitude history, why cheap out, why is a Championship player good enough for a Champions League team etc.
People do it all the time - it was said of Doherty, and he isn't even a bad egg.

I'd rather we move on from those sorts of signings, personally, with our wing backs not being the positions we can afford to play silly buggers over