Tottenham Hotspur sold left back Djed Spence to Inter Milan for about 30 million pounds, and while many Spurs supporters were surprised by how little Spurs got out of one of England's best players at the 2026 World Cup, many others pointed to the fact that 26 year old fullbacks who are backups at a club fending off relegation have never gone for more than that in the history of world football.
But Spence, in some way, does feel like a special exception, and Tottenham fans will always love his attitude and effort. Even though it appears he was the one who wanted to go to a club currently playing Champions League football and step outside the shadow of Pedor Porro, he will be missed by the Tottenham faithful.
Because of his great World Cup in the clutch as a defender in the Thomas Tuchel style of sitting back, there has been quite a bit of revisionism about Spence at the club. The reality is that he had every opportunity to nail down a starting spot in the team, but he simply didn't because he was not good enough.
Djed Spence benefited from a false sample
And De Zerbi isn't going to play like Tuchel. Not even close. He is going to want his fullbacks to push up the pitch, create chances, and exhibit technical quality. Those are all the things Spence struggles with, and while he is a great one on one defender, he was also legitimately one of the worst fullbacks in the entire Premier League on the ball.
Tottenham Hotspur supporters can't forget how frustrating Djed Spence was from an attacking perspective, especially last season. And while he stepped up in the clutch in important knockout games at the World Cup for England, he wasn't universally great in every game or on every critical play. More importantly for Tottenham, he didn't exactly rise above the occasion when Spurs were facing relegation from the Premier League.
The World Cup is a smaller sample size with a different tactical way than how Spurs will be playing in the Premier League, and Spence was also facing easier competition. Even teams England struggled against like Mexico have far less talent than most of the teams Tottenham will be competing with on a weekly basis in the Premier League, especially at the top of the table for Champions League places.
Tottenham sold Spence at the right time. If the World Cup never happened, Spurs fans would be over the moon about selling him to Inter Milan for 30 million pounds.
Add us as a preferred source on Google