Spurs Targeting Young English Right-Back To Bulk Up Defence

You may not have been able to tell during his post-match celebrations after the play-off finals this weekend, but Djed Spence is not yet a Premier League footballer. The Englishman will return to Middlesbrough next season following the conclusion of his loan spell with Nottingham Forest, and a return to the City Ground club next season is far from certain for Spence.

Football.London report Middlesbrough are ready to cash in on Spence off the back of a strong loan campaign for the right-back. He is believed to be available for around £15 million. With Spurs left underwhelmed by Emerson Royal’s first season at the club as the Lilywhites’ main right-back, it is clear to see why they hold an interest in the highly rated Spence.

However, Tottenham are not the only side who have Spence on their radar. Forest of course want him back, Brentford are also interested in him, and Newcastle are also believed to be keeping tabs on the 21-year-old despite only recently signing Kieran Trippier. On the continent, Jose Mourinho’s Roma and Borussia Dortmund are also tracking Spence. He is a hot commodity at the moment.

The marauding full-back would be well equipped to handle the task of playing as a wing-back under Antonio Conte, but with the Italian manager having just signed Ivan Perisic as a wing-back option, it’ll be interesting to see just how serious Spurs’ interest in the Middlesbrough man is. Conte also tends to opt to sign experience over youth, so a move for Adama Traore or Filip Kostic could be prioritised.

It'll be intriguing to see which course the Djed Spence case takes over the coming weeks. He is believed to be waiting until he has completed his duties with the England U21s at the Euros before he makes a decision on where he’ll play his football next season. With so many clubs interested in him, his future is very much in his hands. Spurs face a serious battle to sign the youngster.