Middlesbrough coach Chris Wilder has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur did not face any competition from other clubs in their pursuit to sign Djed Spence.

Both clubs have reached an agreement over the transfer fee involved, with the initial sum standing at £12.5million and another £6.5million in the form of add-ons. Tottenham will have to pay £4million of those bonuses if Spence achieves certain targets for them, with the remaining £2.5million depending on his appearances for England (ESPN).

Spurs certainly took their time to find common ground with Boro, as this move has been a drawn-out saga. In fact, Wilder has revealed that this time-consuming situation was down to the fact that no other clubs made any bids for the English defender.

That was the case despite Nottingham Forest being linked with a move for the 21-year-old youngster (NottinghamshireLive) following an excellent loan spell at City Ground in the previous campaign. It was well-known that Spence desired to complete a switch to team up with Antonio Conte (The Athletic), which could have played a part in the lack of competition.

Speaking in the post-match presser after his side’s loss to Portuguese side Braga yesterday, Wilder spoke to TeessideLive: “It’s a boost for everyone. There has been far too much talk about it, but these deals just don’t happen overnight. It’s a big number for a player that has not played for us. He had a fabulous season [at Nottingham Forest], everyone knows that.

“Tottenham were the only show in town, so they could hang out, which they have done. We needed to hang out, which we have done. Eventually, a deal has been done. Tottenham will feel they’ve got a very good deal for a young player, we feel we’ve got a great deal to get the money we’ve got for a player who has hardly played for the first team here.

“Forest didn’t come in for him, nobody else came in for him, Tottenham were the only show in town. So that made it quite difficult for Neil [Bausor] and Steve [Gibson] to get the right number, but they did and they’re comfortable with it. As far as I’m concerned, he’s gone, I don’t have to speak about it again and we move on.”

Our View

The lack of competition from elsewhere certainly seems to have benefited us as we have got our hands on a talented young prospect who could achieve wonders under Conte’s guidance. After all, the Championship side demanded £15million up front as they held on to their asking price for several weeks (talkSPORT).

However, Fabio Paratici seems to have made a breakthrough and agreed to a deal with Wilder’s team with better terms by reducing the total cost from £20million as well. The conditions look to be quite reasonable indeed, as we would only incur those bonuses if Spence ends up being successful at N17 moving forward.

Now that an agreement has been reached over the payment structure and the cost, an official announcement can be expected shortly, especially when Spence was pictured donning a Spurs shirt yesterday (The Sun).

Spence’s addition would gladly be welcomed by the supporters, especially after the struggles they endured watching Emerson Royal. He failed to meet the expectations in which he was signed so far and even added to those woes when he missed an open goal in the first pre-season fixture. Emerson could be in line to leave now that Spence is set to join us this summer.