Djed Spence

Djed Spence
Personal information
Full name Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence[1]
Date of birth (2000-08-09) 9 August 2000 (age 24)[2]
Place of birth London, England[3]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[4]
Position(s) Full-back
Team information
Current team
 Tottenham Hotspur
Number 24
Youth career
2016–2018 Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2022 Middlesbrough 63 (2)
2021–2022 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 39 (2)
2022– Tottenham Hotspur 8 (0)
2023 → Rennes (loan) 8 (0)
2023–2024 → Leeds United (loan) 7 (0)
2024 → Genoa (loan) 16 (0)
International career
2022–2023 England U21 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:28, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence (born 9 August 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Mainly a right-back he has also been deployed as a left-back.

Early life

Spence is the younger brother of actress Karla-Simone Spence.[5] He was born in England to a Jamaican father and Kenyan mother.[6]

Club career

Middlesbrough

Spence signed for Middlesbrough on 1 July 2018, having previously been with Fulham's academy.[2][3] He made his debut for Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup on 14 August 2018, appearing as a substitute versus Notts County at the Riverside Stadium.[7] Spence made his league debut for Middlesbrough in a 1–0 win over Charlton Athletic on 7 December 2019, scoring his first league goal in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 26 December 2019.

On 11 January 2020 Spence won EFL Young Player of the Month, following his league debut, first goal and three clean sheets.[8]

Nottingham Forest (loan)

On 1 September 2021, it was announced Spence would join Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season.[9] He scored his first goal for Forest in a 3–0 win over Birmingham City on 2 October.[10] Spence impressed in FA Cup victories over Premier League clubs Arsenal and Leicester City, scoring the fourth in a 4–1 victory over the latter.[11]

Spence was awarded the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for March 2022[12] as well as being nominated for the Goal of the Month award following his long range strike against Queens Park Rangers[13] which he was ultimately awarded.[14] Having also been nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season, Spence made it a hat-trick of awards for March 2022 when he won the EFL Young Player of the Month award for the second time in his career, becoming the first player to win it twice in the process.[15]

Spence played a vital role in Nottingham Forest's promotion winning side, and was featured in both the EFL Championship Team of the Season and the PFA Championship team of the season.[16][17]

Tottenham Hotspur

On 19 July 2022, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Spence on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of £20 million.[18][19] He made his Tottenham debut on 29 August, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 win against former club Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.[20]

Loan to Rennes

On 31 January 2023, Spence joined French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais on a loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.[21] He made ten appearances for Rennes, including nine starts,[22] one of which was a 2–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, the Parisian team's first league defeat at home in 23 months.[23]

Loan to Leeds United

On 30 August 2023, EFL Championship club Leeds United announced the signing of Spence on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur.[24] He made his debut for the club in a Championship fixture against Sheffield Wednesday on 2 September, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw.[25]

On 18 September 2023, Spence suffered a knee ligament injury in training that would see him out of action for until December.[26][27] He made his comeback from injury on 9 December, playing 20 minutes against Blackburn Rovers[27] and went on to start Leeds' next five Championship fixtures.[28]

On 4 January 2024, Leeds triggered a break clause to terminate Spence's loan spell, seeing him return to Tottenham Hotspur.[29]

Loan to Genoa

On 11 January 2024, Spence signed for Serie A club Genoa on a loan deal until the end of the season.[30] He made 16 Serie A appearances for the Rossoblù in the second half of the season. However, the club was unable to meet the option to buy fee of £8.5m at the end of his loan spell and he returned to Tottenham Hotspur.[31]

Return to Tottenham Hotspur

On 19 August 2024, Spence made his first appearance for Tottenham since January 2023 in their opening fixture of the 2024–25 season, replacing Pedro Porro as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Leicester City in the Premier League.[32] He scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 2–1 EFL Cup win over Coventry City on 17 September.[33]

International career

In March 2022, Spence earned a first international call up to the England Under-21 squad for the upcoming Under-21 European Championship Qualifying matches against Andorra and Albania.[34] He made his debut as a substitute during a 3–0 victory away to the latter on 29 March 2022.[35]

Style of play

Spence primarily plays as a right-back, and is known for his pace and dribbling ability.[36] He has been praised by Ian Wright, who described him as "combative, technical, swashbuckling", and Wes Morgan, who compared him to a Rolls-Royce.[37][38]

Career statistics

As of match played 23 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fulham U23 2017–18[39] — — — — 1[c] 0 1 0
Middlesbrough 2018–19[40] Championship 0 0 0 0 2 0 — — 2 0
2019–20[41] Championship 22 1 2 0 0 0 — — 24 1
2020–21[42] Championship 38 1 1 0 1 0 — — 40 1
2021–22[43] Championship 3 0 0 0 1 0 — — 4 0
Total 63 2 3 0 4 0 — — 70 2
Middlesbrough U23 2018–19[40] — — — — 3[c] 0 3 0
Nottingham Forest (loan) 2021–22[43] Championship 39 2 4 1 0 0 — 3[d] 0 46 3
Tottenham Hotspur 2022–23[44] Premier League 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 — 6 0
2023–24[45] Premier League 0 0 — 0 0 — — 0 0
2024–25[46] Premier League 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 5 1
Total 8 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 — 11 1
Rennes (loan) 2022–23[44] Ligue 1 8 0 — — 2[e] 0 — 10 0
Leeds United (loan) 2023–24[45] Championship 7 0 0 0 — — — 7 0
Genoa (loan) 2023–24[45] Serie A 16 0 — — — — 16 0
Career total 141 4 8 1 6 1 2 0 7 0 164 6
  1. ^ Includes FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in EFL Championship play-offs
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Nottingham Forest

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2019" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Djed Spence". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b "11v11". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Djed Spence" (in French). Stade Rennais F.C. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  5. ^ Karla-Simone Spence (26 December 2019). "Proud Big sister🦁❤️ The future is bright! SPENCE WOI YOii!!! #winninggoal #borofc". Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via Instagram.
  6. ^ Sports, Pulse (26 February 2024). "Kenyan defender finally opens up on disastrous spell at Tottenham following move to Genoa". Pulse Sports Kenya.
  7. ^ "Middlesbrough 3–3 Notts County". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Djed Spence: Middlesbrough defender wins December's EFL Young Player of the Month award". 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  9. ^ Club, Nottingham Forest Football (September 2021). "Djed Spence signs on loan". Nottingham Forest Football Club.
  10. ^ "Birmingham 0–3 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Nottingham Forest 4–1 Leicester City: Forest defeat FA Cup holders Leicester". BBC Sport. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Spence named Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk. 8 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Spence nominated for Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk. 8 April 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Goal of the Month: March winners". www.efl.com. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Djed Spence scoops Young Player of the Month award". www.efl.com. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". www.efl.com. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  17. ^ "PFA Championship Team of the Year". www.thepfa.com. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Spence signs from Middlesbrough". Tottenham Hotspur. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  19. ^ David Hytner (19 July 2022). "Tottenham seal Djed Spence signing from Middlesbrough in £20m deal". www.theguardian.com.
  20. ^ "Nottingham Forest 0-2 Tottenham: Harry Kane scores 200th and 201st career league goals in hard-fought win". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 September 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  21. ^ "Djed Spence, nouveau Latéral droit Rennais!". Stade Rennais F.C. (in French). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Djed Spence - First Team Profile". Stade Rennais. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Paris St-Germain 0-2 Rennes: Hosts suffer first home league defeat since April 2021". BBC Sport. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Leeds United sign Djed Spence on loan from Tottenham Hotspur". Leeds United F.C. 30 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Leeds United 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday: Owls frustrate Leeds to win first point". BBC Sport. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Djed Spence Injury Update". Leeds United F.C. 27 September 2023.
  27. ^ a b "Djed Spence: Sent back to Spurs by Leeds – can he finally find his feet at Genoa?". The Athletic. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Leeds United transfer latest: Whites exercise recall option to allow Djed Spence to return to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur". Yorkshire Post. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  29. ^ "Djed Spence returns to Tottenham Hotspur". www.leedsunited.com. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Djes Spence nuovo giocatore del Genoa" [Djed Spence is a new Genoa player] (in Italian). Genoa CFC. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Genoa fail to agree cut-price deal for Spence". BBC Sport. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  32. ^ "English Premier League live updates: Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  33. ^ "Coventry 1-2 Tottenham: Win papers over performance". BBC Sport. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  34. ^ "England MU21 squad for qualifiers with Andorra and Albania". www.englandfootball.com. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Report: Albania 0-3 England MU21s". EnglandFootball.com. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  36. ^ Carey, Liam Tharme and Mark. "What Tottenham can expect from Djed Spence: Crosses, beating a man, but lots to learn". The Athletic. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  37. ^ McGovern, Ste (14 January 2022). "Ian Wright pays Djed Spence huge compliment after Arsenal display". NottinghamshireLive. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  38. ^ Johns, Craig (7 February 2022). "Scouting mission, pundit praise & ex-boss valuation - Spence impresses". TeessideLive. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  39. ^ "Games played by Djed Spence in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Games played by Djed Spence in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  41. ^ "Games played by Djed Spence in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Games played by Djed Spence in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  43. ^ a b "Games played by Djed Spence in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  44. ^ a b "Games played by Djed Spence in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  45. ^ a b c "Games played by Djed Spence in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  46. ^ "Games played by Djed Spence in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  47. ^ "Forest return to Premier League after 23-year wait". BBC Sport. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  48. ^ "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". www.efl.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  49. ^ "PFA Championship Team of the Year". Professional Footballers' Association. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.