Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to cut ties with a signing that divided the club, with new boss Ange Postecoglou uninterested in the player
(Image credit: Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to cut ties with a player they only signed 12 months ago, as Ange Postecoglou begins to wield a scythe over his bloated squad.
The Lilywhites agreed a £150 million cash injection last summer following Champions League qualification in a bid to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the table, going on a huge spending spree. The likes of Richarlison, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma all joined to bolster the depth of the side, though very few new buys had remarkable maiden seasons in north London.
With Tottenham now looking to offload deadwood ahead of the new season, several stars have been put up for sale – including one of the more exciting players to join 12 months ago.
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is in sell mode, following some disappointing seasons from last summer's new signings (Image credit: David Rogers/Getty Images)
According to the Evening Standard, right-back Djed Spence is to leave the club after just four appearances in the Premier League for Spurs.
Spence moved to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for around £20m as per The Guardian, following a fantastic promotion campaign at Nottingham Forest. There appeared to be a huge split between then-manager Antonio Conte and his employers, with the Italian admitting early on that he didn't actually want the England youth star.
Why Harry Kane should stay at Tottenham Hotspur this summer
"Spence is an investment of the club," Conte said. "The club wanted to do it. I said, 'OK, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us'. The club decided to buy him."
After failing to break into the Tottenham side, 22-year-old went on loan to Rennes in Ligue 1, where he again struggled to make an impact. Spurs went on to sign Pedro Porro in the same transfer window and had to terminate Matt Doherty's contract to let him leave, given that they had too many players out on loan.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Djed Spence's time at Tottenham has been forgettable (Image credit: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Hugo Lloris, Tanguy Ndombele, Joe Rodon and Spence made up the quartet of transfer-listed stars to miss the recent preseason test against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Postecoglou said to favour other players in his squad.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
