In a recent report from Football.London, it was mentioned that Djed Spence of Tottenham Hotspur has been rotting away in the background as he hasn’t found a breakthrough, only featuring once as a late substitute against Nottingham Forest this season. It is of growing concern for the 22-year-old as he requires enough game time to develop and grow to create an impact.
Spence’s Impressive Run Of Form In English Football Last Season
The young talent had a decent campaign with Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship last season when he found the back of the net twice and produced five assists as he made 42 league appearances for them.
Spence performed consistently on both ends as he averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.4 clearances, 0.6 shots, 1.0 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game in the English Championship. He was even tidy when distributing the ball from the right-back position after completing 76.1% of his attempted passes in the second division of English football (stats via whoscored).
Should Tottenham Hotspur Boss Conte Give Him More game Time?
When asked about the situation regarding Spence being able to feature at all for the Lilywhites this season, the Football.London’s Spurs Correspondent Alastair Gold had a different opinion than to simply loan him out this January, as he said :
“Rotting is probably too harsh a word. At the moment, they’re young players developing and there for squad depth, who will get their chance if they work hard and catch Conte’s eye. Personally, of the two, I’d have let Gil go out on loan and brought someone else in because I think he needs game time the most. Spence has never played top-flight football so half a season at least spent learning what it’s all about is no disaster. They will both get minutes. It’s down to them to grab any chance they get to gain more.”
The young right-back has the potential to become one of the best in Europe. He excels at getting past his markers and delivering crosses from wide areas. The London-born talent can make a few dangerous runs down the right flank and stretch the opposition backline to create space for his attackers. Furthermore, he contributes heavily to the defence as he can make some crucial interceptions and time his tackles well to win the ball back for his side.
Antonio Conte should definitely make use of him in the rotation and give him more minutes as he could certainly make a huge difference. Loaning him out could provide him with more game time but the decisive factor in his development could be playing in the top division with a top club as he comes off the bench regularly to make himself comfortable and adapt to one of the world’s toughest leagues.
