Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has proven to be a useful backup left back or right back over the years, having flipped over from the right to the left and invert for Spurs with all the injuries Destiny Udogie has dealt with over the past couple of seasons.
Spence, like many Spurs players, had a very difficult 2025/26 season as Tottenham were rife with mismanagement under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor and were nearly relegated before Roberto De Zerbi pulled them out of a deep slumber.
And like Pedro Porro, Spence has been greatly improved at the World Cup this year on a better team, and even though his best performances have been off the bench for Thomas Tuchel's England, the 25 year old fullback has richly rewarded the German manager's decision to include him in the final World Cup squad above bigger names like Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Djed Spence is back in the right frame
Djed Spence's latest heroics came against Norway in the quarterfinals. The fullback came into the match off the bench in the 85th minute, won two tackles and an interception, and created two great goal scoring opportunities all by himself off his pure determination to get into the final third and create havoc.
After the game, the media asked Spence about his mentality in these situations and how he approaches playing for England this summer, and he gave an answer Tottenham Hotspur fans will be very familiar with.
Spence said, via The Spurs Watch, “I just want to make the country proud, the nation proud, my team proud, and the manager proud. When I step on the pitch, I give 110% for this country and I’m just grateful to do my part.”
Although Spence can have a persona on social media that appears a bit grating, particularly to opposition fans, the whole "Spence Penitentiary" gimmick is just that, a gimmick and a light hearted joke, though it is a confidence booster for him - and he definitely prides himself in his one on one defending.
But at his core, Spence is a guy who will run through walls for his teammates and is not above doing the dirty work to win. And England, Tottenham, and any other big team needs characters like this off the bench who can come in and close out games with this mentality. Spence looked to be a bit on the outs and with his head down in the 2025/26 season, but he has turned it around and shown his true colors on the big stage this summer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google