Player Watch - Djed Spence - Genoa

[fishhhandaricecake]

I recall after one game, his mum posting something about him on her social media.

Basically suggested he should be playing.

Now if the people behind him are behaving entitled and not driving it into him that HE needs to convince the coach and not anything else, then you have a player who is not going to get the message.

There had been stories that he was around people when he lived in London that were not leading him down a good path @fishhhandaricecake Is that right?

There is enough smoke there to suggest that all of this is not just rumours and that he does have atitude issues.

Correct mate, I had ITK on that from his youth days at Fulham, said he had a really poor attitude and bad influences around him. Can't comment if he'd got rid of those bad influences and improved his attitude at Forest but his tweets to Neil Warnock after they won promotion made me think he was the same Djed tbh.

I've also not heard anything about his attitude at Spurs, he might be being loaned out because he just isn't good enough and Ange doesn't need wing backs but wouldn't surprise me if his attitude isn't where it needs to be.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

With all due respect - when do you think he gets that message?

This is not the first time he has had issues.

I agree. Was just sounding it out really, wondering if there's more to it or if it's just like you find in any walk of life in terms of lateness etc.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Correct mate, I had ITK on that from his youth days at Fulham, said he had a really poor attitude and bad influences around him. Can't comment if he'd got rid of those bad influences and improved his attitude at Forest but his tweets to Neil Warnock after they won promotion made me think he was the same Djed tbh.

I've also not heard anything about his attitude at Spurs, he might be being loaned out because he just isn't good enough and Ange doesn't need wing backs but wouldn't surprise me if his attitude isn't where it needs to be.

Getting sent back from a loan unexpectedly, and then being sent to train with the U21s while a new loan is sorted, suggests, to me, that Spurs are not impressed with his attitude - in some way. Based on the observations of others - I put it down to a lack of professionalism, more than anything more nefarious than that.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

On reflection, one of the problems I have in these circumstances is the word 'attitude'. It has too broad a meaning. If you listen to Djed speak and how highly people speak about him as a person, he doesn't come across as how I would describe someone as not having the right, or a good 'attitude'. It has too many negative connotations in this case.

If it's time keeping, application on the training pitch or whatever is proving to be the problem. Not putting in enough effort, perhaps. Then things can be worked on.

Naturally, he may find his way at Genoa. But at this level and at his age, you'd expect a level of maturity and understanding of what it needed to be the best. He's been in the game long enough to know and people have personal responsibility for their own lives. Others can only help so much.

It will be interesting to see where this ends up, but I wouldn't bet against a life of obscurity for the lad.

Agree with this. There is the difference between being a bad person and a bad professional. Very much sounds like Djed is the latter but not that former.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

Agree with this. There is the difference between being a bad person and a bad professional. Very much sounds like Djed is the latter but not that former.

Professionalism would be a better word I think? I know it probably doesn't make any difference to most fans, but semantics can have a impact. Especially on views and in this day and age of social media rules.

 

[TheHodFather]

Correct mate, I had ITK on that from his youth days at Fulham, said he had a really poor attitude and bad influences around him. Can't comment if he'd got rid of those bad influences and improved his attitude at Forest but his tweets to Neil Warnock after they won promotion made me think he was the same Djed tbh.

I've also not heard anything about his attitude at Spurs, he might be being loaned out because he just isn't good enough and Ange doesn't need wing backs but wouldn't surprise me if his attitude isn't where it needs to be.

Fulham released him at age 18 as well, didn't they? When you see him play it's hard to imagine that happened because they didn't think he was talented enough...

 

[mark87]

 

[dovahkiin]

Genoa loan for Spence | Tottenham Hotspur

Djed Spence has joined Serie A side Genoa on loan for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.

www.tottenhamhotspur.com

 

[mark87]

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Hmmm.... LeasePlan...seems appropriate!

 

[PCozzie]

Is this the announcement tweet for his loan to Genoa, or the trailer for a new hilarious animation caper 'Spence' (PG), coming soon to a cinema near you.

 

[mil1lion]

number 90 , is that because he's onto his 90th chance now

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Pretty interesting write-up in Athletic about Spence.

This quote definitely points to "professionalism" rather than any other kind of bad attitude problems. The article also details his struggles due to injury/fitness and positions.

"Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said Farke’s prime concern with Spence had been his in-game performance levels. But there were other issues too: late arrivals for certain training sessions and team meetings, the failure to appear for an off-field event, raising red flags despite the fact that, day to day, Spence was polite and friendly around the training ground."

Spoiler

Djed Spence: Sent back to Spurs by Leeds – can he finally find his feet at Genoa?
Phil Hay

Djed Spence, according to Neil Warnock, has the capacity to be Premier League or non-League. But by way of another stint in the Championship, the full-back is on the road to Italy. As one door closes another one opens, though Spence could hardly claim that a loan to Genoa is part of any preconceived masterplan.

His transfer to Serie A was put in place on Thursday, less than a week after a previous loan at Leeds United came to an abrupt end on Leeds’ say-so. Spence is a makeweight in Tottenham Hotspur’s signing of centre-back Radu Dragusin, the 23-year-old sent out to Genoa for the rest of the season as Dragusin came the other way for a fee in excess of £25million ($32m). Spence’s contract at Spurs runs to 2027 but he has never been further from the picture there. As part of the transaction with Genoa, Spurs are covering his entire wage. A permanent €10m option has also been negotiated.

And while Serie A — a competition which will pit Spence against some of Europe’s elite — is nothing like non-League, Warnock’s general point stands. In Spence, there is a right-back with clear and obvious ability, a style made for modern wing-back play and a history which, at a certain point in time, showed him to be better in his position than any other player in the Championship. But appreciating his potential and properly harnessing it are two different things, and he heads to Italy with the reputation of a rebel without a cause.


Warnock was manager of Middlesbrough while Spence was cutting his teeth as a first-team player there having moved to Teeside from Fulham’s academy in 2018. Warnock found him so aloof and challenging to manage that in 2021 he sanctioned a loan to Nottingham Forest, a Championship rival, who won promotion via the play-offs with Spence in their line-up.

Despite his impact at the City Ground, Boro did not regret Warnock’s decision to move him on. And when Tottenham came in with an eight-figure offer for him the following summer, they were only too happy to sell. Warnock could see Spence’s talent; he was just not sure if the defender would succeed in maximising it properly.

In contrast to Middlesbrough and Leeds, something about Steve Cooper worked for Spence at Forest. Cooper, according to those who watched him work with Spence, had a knack of putting an arm around him at the right moments and keeping him on the straight and narrow. Forest’s back five, a different system to the four-man defence used by Leeds this season, worked for Spence too. But it is also true that Forest are the only one of the five clubs he has appeared for at senior level who retain fond memories of him. For Leeds, his most recent opportunity, he goes down as a hugely disappointing loan, one they hoped would deliver big things but felt compelled to cut short unceremoniously last Thursday.

That decision had several strands to it but part of the problem for Spence at Elland Road was that he had no opportunity to hit the ground running. Ange Postecoglou, who Spurs appointed as head coach in June, did not waste time in ruling Spence surplus to immediate requirements and barely used him in pre-season. Spence had returned from a previous loan at Rennes in France’s Ligue 1 with a minor knee injury and had long periods away from Postecoglou’s main training group. Leeds, who had come very close to landing Max Aarons from Norwich City before losing out to Bournemouth, struck a deal for a season-long loan with Tottenham at the very end of August, a day before the transfer window closed. Spence was fit but, having played very little over the summer, not especially match fit.


Leeds had first-hand knowledge of him, or very good knowledge of him, as a footballer and a character. Gretar Steinsson, United’s technical director, had been at Spurs before taking up his role at Elland Road and he and Spence lived very close to each other in London. After his transfer to Leeds, Spence made one nine-minute outing the following weekend before injuring knee ligaments in training. Having planned to blood him from September onwards, Daniel Farke was unable to call on him again until the second week of December.

His return to the fold away at Blackburn Rovers on December 9, though, was instructive about what would happen next. Spence completed the last 20 minutes at left-back, replacing an injured Sam Byram. Over the course of his seven appearances, he would play as often on the left side of defence as his preferred position on the right.

Despite Leeds closing out a 2-0 win at Ewood Park, Farke made a beeline for Spence at full time, talking to him intensely on the pitch about his contribution and, specifically, his failure to track back in certain moments. The conversation went on for well over a minute. “There were one or two situations where I feel he could have invested a bit more,” Farke said afterwards, “but this is quite normal as it was his first game in months.”

Last week, after Leeds caused surprise by announcing that Spence would be returning to Spurs at their instigation, Farke was similarly careful to avoid throwing Spence under the bus, while allowing everyone listening to read between the lines. “Obviously, it’s important — the potential and the quality of the player,” Farke said, “but also it’s professionalism, it’s discipline, it’s workload on and off the pitch and also the soft skills, also if he’s positive and committed, good for the group and engaged with these topics. Our demands are very, very high and we don’t differ between loan players or permanent players. We are pretty picky on this topic.”

Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said Farke’s prime concern with Spence had been his in-game performance levels. But there were other issues too: late arrivals for certain training sessions and team meetings, the failure to appear for an off-field event, raising red flags despite the fact that, day to day, Spence was polite and friendly around the training ground.


Leeds had no replacement lined up for Spence when they decided last week, ahead of their FA Cup tie at Peterborough United, that Spence would return to London. Tottenham had not expected him back and the development took them by surprise, though Leeds explained their reasons for activating the loan’s break clause in advance, preparing Spurs for Farke’s comments about Spence at his next press conference.

Spurs quickly ruled that Spence would be made available for another move in this window and, in the meantime, train with their under-21s. There was no suggestion of Postecoglou taking another look at him, partly because any appearance for Tottenham would have ruled out the option of another loan this month owing to rules preventing players from playing for three clubs in one campaign — and it is increasingly hard to see circumstances in which Spurs find a way to make his £12.5million transfer from Middlesbrough work.

Spence has played six times for them and never started a competitive fixture. It suited Tottenham to use him in the deal for Dragusin, with Bayern Munich pressing for an agreement with Genoa themselves. Dragusin, a 21-year-old centre-back, has signed on a six-and-a-half-year deal, running to 2030.

How well this loan works for Spence remains to be seen. Genoa tend to play three at the back, creating scope for Spence to operate as a full-blown wing-back, perhaps the role that suits him best. They have been steady in Serie A having won promotion last season, and Spence, if he finds form, could add a dash of panache to their displays. But it is 18 months now since he was named in the Championship’s team of the year, and 18 months since he was on a roll.

Warnock’s comment about Premier League or non-league continues to resonate, and the wait goes on to discover where Spence finally settles on that spectrum.

 

[Duffman]

Genoa play this afternoon, might be too early to be in the squad yet?

 

[Col_M]

Genoa play this afternoon, might be too early to be in the squad yet?

tooting for him to have a sensational debut. Good luck DJed, grasp this opportunity

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

No particular reason - but I think Spence will have a Marcus Edwards type of resurgence. He will get his career back on track at Genoa. Not enough to make it at Spurs, but enough that he can enjoy a decent career abroad.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

ESPN article from James Olney:

Spoiler: What's happened to Djed Spence

Djed Spence joined Tottenham Hotspur in July 2022 as one of the most promising young defenders in English football. Eighteen months later, the 23-year-old is facing a fight to salvage his career at the highest level.

Spurs fought off competition from a number of clubs to sign Spence for a deal worth up to £19 million after the right-back excelled at Nottingham Forest on loan from parent club Middlesbrough. Forest achieved promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years and Spence was voted into both the EFL's and PFA's Team of the Season for his 39 league appearances, in addition to a starring role as Steve Cooper's side dumped Arsenal, Leicester City and Huddersfield Town out of the FA Cup before losing narrowly to Liverpool in the quarterfinals.

In signing Spence -- quick, direct and purposeful in the final third -- Spurs appeared to have snapped up a dynamic full-back perfectly suited to the demands of the modern game. Yet Spence would go on to make just six substitute appearances totalling 43 minutes before being sent out on loan, firstly to Rennes and later to Leeds United. The latter spell was abruptly cut short this month, leaving him in the wilderness.


Sources told ESPN that Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou sent Spence to train with the under-21s and the club were willing to listen to permanent offers to cut their losses on a player now having to prove he can still realise his considerable potential.

Spence's former manager at Middlesbrough, Neil Warnock, once said Spence was either destined for "Premier League or non-league" amid concerns about his hunger to reach the top. Last week, Spence joined Genoa on another short-term loan deal in what represents a crossroads in his career.

How did it come to this? Can he get his once-promising career back on an upward trajectory?


Sources have told ESPN that part of the deal which took Spence to Tottenham including a potential £2.5m in add-ons relating to future involvement with the England national team. Spence had made his England under-21 debut in March 2022 -- as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Albania -- to continue the dramatic upward trajectory that triggered interest from a host of clubs across Europe.

Borussia Dortmund, AS Roma, Brentford, West Ham United and Forest were among a number of clubs interested in Spence, who was given an extra week's holiday in the summer of 2022 as Middlesbrough negotiated the best possible fee. Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea were also in touch with his representatives although they remained in the background as teams began to make offers.

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs head coach Antonio Conte spoke with Spence directly during negotiations in an effort to convince him to join Tottenham. This was a point which would lead to frustration in the player's camp later on when the Italian would pointedly -- and repeatedly -- refer to Spence as a "club signing."

It is perhaps a sign of the wider confusion at the top of the club back then. While Conte wanted to sign experienced professionals able to help immediately -- the recruitment of veteran Ivan Perisic earlier in that window is a prime example -- Spurs wanted to continue with their longstanding policy of signing younger players with potential and develop them in north London. Spence was to some extent caught in the crossfire of this power battle but regardless, it is not uncommon for Tottenham to tell prospective new signings that they have to play their way into the squad.



Spurs were seen as a good fit for Spence given their track record for giving young players a chance and his route into the first team seemed well signposted given question marks over the quality of the club's other two right-backs: Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty. Yet Conte quickly decided Spence was not ready for first-team football and with each passing week he was left out of the matchday squad altogether, the "club signing" comment felt increasingly barbed.

Sources have told ESPN that Conte did not provide much specific instruction to Spence on how he could improve or what he needed to do to break into the team. Perhaps this is partly why he prefers working with senior players -- they often know instinctively.

Spence needed guidance and didn't get it. Yet multiple training ground sources suggested to ESPN that he did not react in the best way. Questions began to grow about his attitude and off-field activity. On several occasions he was either late for training or would turn up for a session with barely a few minutes to spare. Some questioned his work ethic and by the time January 2023 came around, Spence had not started a single game, making only six substitute appearances. In four of those games, he was introduced in the 88th or 89th minute.

Sources have told ESPN that Spence lived next door to Gretar Steinsson, who began work as Tottenham's performance director in the same month the defender signed for Spurs. Steinsson became aware of loud music regularly coming from Spence's house late at night and sources have told ESPN that internally the club began to harbour concerns about his attitude and commitment to making the most of his career.

A view was formed that Spence should go out on loan to get back on track. Around a fortnight into the January window, Ligue 1 club Rennes made an offer to take Spence. Sources have told ESPN that Spence rejected the move. As the month wore on, it became increasingly clear the club were targeting another right-back and on deadline day, Spurs completed a deal worth €45m to sign Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent.

Suddenly, Spence's short-term and long-term future at Spurs looked uncertain. On the same day Porro's arrival was confirmed, Spence went to Rennes. Sources have told ESPN that Atletico Madrid had expressed an interest, but Spence believed he had a better chance of playing regularly in France.

Spence started well in France. Rennes fans gave him a standing ovation at the end of his 84-minute debut in their 3-1 defeat to Lille. He played in both legs of the club's Europa League exit to Shakhtar Donetsk but performances dipped and by April he had fallen out of the team -- a source has told ESPN that he had a disagreement with manager Bruno Genesio. Spence's loan was cut short in early May by injury.

Back at Spurs, Conte had been sacked and after a disappointing end to the season under two interim coaches -- Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason -- Ange Postecoglou was appointed as the club's new head coach. Sources have told ESPN that Postecoglou was keen on giving all members of the squad a clean slate and urged them to buy into his philosophy. However, sources added that from their first meeting, Postecoglou had doubts about Spence. He is said to have reacted badly to Postecoglou's subsequent suggestion of another loan move. Postecoglou's response was to insist he would not be part of his squad. The former Celtic boss has spoken repeatedly in public about prioritising the right sort of characters and he felt Spence was the wrong fit for his group.

By contrast, the case of Pape Matar Sarr has been used internally as an example of the transformation others could have followed. Sarr was frozen out by Conte, starting just two Premier League games in the 2022-23 campaign following his arrival from Metz. Under Postecoglou, Sarr has formed a key midfield partnership with Yves Bissouma, starting 16 of 20 league games prior to joining up with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations. Earlier this month, the 21-year-old signed a new long-term contract tying him to Spurs until 2030. Sources have told ESPN that Sarr handled his spell in exile well, remaining focused and diligent throughout.

But Tottenham were willing to listen in the summer to offers for Spence, who changed agents last year, but wanted to recoup the majority of the initial £12.5m fee they paid Middlesbrough. However, suitors were in shorter supply this time and a loan move to Leeds came late in the window with sources suggesting he was initially reluctant to drop back down to the Championship.

A knee injury meant he could make only one appearance between September and December. Spence would make seven appearances for Leeds. Sources said that while he was polite around the training ground, there were once again issues with timekeeping and a failure to fulfil off-field club requirements. A disagreement with Leeds boss Daniel Farke followed over his role in the team. Farke wanted Spence to cover at left-back. The player disagreed and shortly afterwards, Leeds activated a break clause in their loan agreement and Spence was sent back to Tottenham. Spurs were taken by surprise. Postecoglou banished Spence to train with the Under-21s and Tottenham tried to find him another club.

Sources with knowledge of Tottenham's January transfer plans suggest Spurs were now willing to sanction a cut-price sale, but instead they suggested Spence to Genoa during conversations over the signing of centre-back Radu Drăgușin from the Italian club. Negotiations concluded with Spurs paying around €30m for Drăgușin with Spence going the other way on loan. ESPN reported at the time this deal includes an option to sign Spence permanently for €10m.

In addition, sources have told ESPN that Tottenham agreed to waive a loan fee and are paying all of Spence's wages, worth around £60,000 a week. Once again, Spence was initially reluctant to join Genoa but later agreed to the move and has another opportunity to kick-start the career of a player who has raw, exciting talent.

There are some in the game wondering how many more chances he will get.

Does not paint a pretty picture - and given the anonymous sourcing in the article, I suspect someone at the club is a bit put off by Spence. I still hope he can get his act together at Genoa, and get his career back on track - albeit not at Spurs.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Time is now to figure it out, then. Really hope he does for his own career.

 

[newbie]

Pretty interesting write-up in Athletic about Spence.

This quote definitely points to "professionalism" rather than any other kind of bad attitude problems. The article also details his struggles due to injury/fitness and positions.

"Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said Farke’s prime concern with Spence had been his in-game performance levels. But there were other issues too: late arrivals for certain training sessions and team meetings, the failure to appear for an off-field event, raising red flags despite the fact that, day to day, Spence was polite and friendly around the training ground."

Spoiler

Djed Spence: Sent back to Spurs by Leeds – can he finally find his feet at Genoa?
Phil Hay

Djed Spence, according to Neil Warnock, has the capacity to be Premier League or non-League. But by way of another stint in the Championship, the full-back is on the road to Italy. As one door closes another one opens, though Spence could hardly claim that a loan to Genoa is part of any preconceived masterplan.

His transfer to Serie A was put in place on Thursday, less than a week after a previous loan at Leeds United came to an abrupt end on Leeds’ say-so. Spence is a makeweight in Tottenham Hotspur’s signing of centre-back Radu Dragusin, the 23-year-old sent out to Genoa for the rest of the season as Dragusin came the other way for a fee in excess of £25million ($32m). Spence’s contract at Spurs runs to 2027 but he has never been further from the picture there. As part of the transaction with Genoa, Spurs are covering his entire wage. A permanent €10m option has also been negotiated.

And while Serie A — a competition which will pit Spence against some of Europe’s elite — is nothing like non-League, Warnock’s general point stands. In Spence, there is a right-back with clear and obvious ability, a style made for modern wing-back play and a history which, at a certain point in time, showed him to be better in his position than any other player in the Championship. But appreciating his potential and properly harnessing it are two different things, and he heads to Italy with the reputation of a rebel without a cause.


Warnock was manager of Middlesbrough while Spence was cutting his teeth as a first-team player there having moved to Teeside from Fulham’s academy in 2018. Warnock found him so aloof and challenging to manage that in 2021 he sanctioned a loan to Nottingham Forest, a Championship rival, who won promotion via the play-offs with Spence in their line-up.

Despite his impact at the City Ground, Boro did not regret Warnock’s decision to move him on. And when Tottenham came in with an eight-figure offer for him the following summer, they were only too happy to sell. Warnock could see Spence’s talent; he was just not sure if the defender would succeed in maximising it properly.

In contrast to Middlesbrough and Leeds, something about Steve Cooper worked for Spence at Forest. Cooper, according to those who watched him work with Spence, had a knack of putting an arm around him at the right moments and keeping him on the straight and narrow. Forest’s back five, a different system to the four-man defence used by Leeds this season, worked for Spence too. But it is also true that Forest are the only one of the five clubs he has appeared for at senior level who retain fond memories of him. For Leeds, his most recent opportunity, he goes down as a hugely disappointing loan, one they hoped would deliver big things but felt compelled to cut short unceremoniously last Thursday.

That decision had several strands to it but part of the problem for Spence at Elland Road was that he had no opportunity to hit the ground running. Ange Postecoglou, who Spurs appointed as head coach in June, did not waste time in ruling Spence surplus to immediate requirements and barely used him in pre-season. Spence had returned from a previous loan at Rennes in France’s Ligue 1 with a minor knee injury and had long periods away from Postecoglou’s main training group. Leeds, who had come very close to landing Max Aarons from Norwich City before losing out to Bournemouth, struck a deal for a season-long loan with Tottenham at the very end of August, a day before the transfer window closed. Spence was fit but, having played very little over the summer, not especially match fit.


Leeds had first-hand knowledge of him, or very good knowledge of him, as a footballer and a character. Gretar Steinsson, United’s technical director, had been at Spurs before taking up his role at Elland Road and he and Spence lived very close to each other in London. After his transfer to Leeds, Spence made one nine-minute outing the following weekend before injuring knee ligaments in training. Having planned to blood him from September onwards, Daniel Farke was unable to call on him again until the second week of December.

His return to the fold away at Blackburn Rovers on December 9, though, was instructive about what would happen next. Spence completed the last 20 minutes at left-back, replacing an injured Sam Byram. Over the course of his seven appearances, he would play as often on the left side of defence as his preferred position on the right.

Despite Leeds closing out a 2-0 win at Ewood Park, Farke made a beeline for Spence at full time, talking to him intensely on the pitch about his contribution and, specifically, his failure to track back in certain moments. The conversation went on for well over a minute. “There were one or two situations where I feel he could have invested a bit more,” Farke said afterwards, “but this is quite normal as it was his first game in months.”

Last week, after Leeds caused surprise by announcing that Spence would be returning to Spurs at their instigation, Farke was similarly careful to avoid throwing Spence under the bus, while allowing everyone listening to read between the lines. “Obviously, it’s important — the potential and the quality of the player,” Farke said, “but also it’s professionalism, it’s discipline, it’s workload on and off the pitch and also the soft skills, also if he’s positive and committed, good for the group and engaged with these topics. Our demands are very, very high and we don’t differ between loan players or permanent players. We are pretty picky on this topic.”

Sources with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said Farke’s prime concern with Spence had been his in-game performance levels. But there were other issues too: late arrivals for certain training sessions and team meetings, the failure to appear for an off-field event, raising red flags despite the fact that, day to day, Spence was polite and friendly around the training ground.


Leeds had no replacement lined up for Spence when they decided last week, ahead of their FA Cup tie at Peterborough United, that Spence would return to London. Tottenham had not expected him back and the development took them by surprise, though Leeds explained their reasons for activating the loan’s break clause in advance, preparing Spurs for Farke’s comments about Spence at his next press conference.

Spurs quickly ruled that Spence would be made available for another move in this window and, in the meantime, train with their under-21s. There was no suggestion of Postecoglou taking another look at him, partly because any appearance for Tottenham would have ruled out the option of another loan this month owing to rules preventing players from playing for three clubs in one campaign — and it is increasingly hard to see circumstances in which Spurs find a way to make his £12.5million transfer from Middlesbrough work.

Spence has played six times for them and never started a competitive fixture. It suited Tottenham to use him in the deal for Dragusin, with Bayern Munich pressing for an agreement with Genoa themselves. Dragusin, a 21-year-old centre-back, has signed on a six-and-a-half-year deal, running to 2030.

How well this loan works for Spence remains to be seen. Genoa tend to play three at the back, creating scope for Spence to operate as a full-blown wing-back, perhaps the role that suits him best. They have been steady in Serie A having won promotion last season, and Spence, if he finds form, could add a dash of panache to their displays. But it is 18 months now since he was named in the Championship’s team of the year, and 18 months since he was on a roll.

Warnock’s comment about Premier League or non-league continues to resonate, and the wait goes on to discover where Spence finally settles on that spectrum.

I honestly believe from meeting him his a really nice kid, just immature and lacks the hunger to make it. Ofc he might turn it around

 

[Blake Griffin]

60k a week? surely he's not on that.