Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has admitted that signing Djed Spence from Middlesbrough was not his originally idea but rather the club’s plans for the future.
Tottenham are known for their tendency to invest in young talent in the past with the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Tom Huddlestone having moved to north London early on in their. Conte, on the other hand, usually depends on experience, which is evident from the transfers like Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Clement Lenglet.
Spence does not fall into that category after only having his breakthrough season when he was on loan in the Championship at Nottingham Forest. Spurs eventually landed the England Under-21 international yesterday for an initial fee of £12.5million, plus a potential £7.5million in add-ons based on certain clauses (Alasdair Gold).
The Italian revealed he was not the driving force behind the acquisition of the right wing-back, but having the final say on signings, decided to give it the green light t because the 21-year-old can become an important player.
Speaking to Football.London, Conte said: “Honestly when I spoke [to the chairman] it was very simple because at the start of the conversation the club was very clear with me and said we reached an important achievement and maybe it was very difficult to think since November when I arrived to go into the Champions League but now we want to continue to grow, to grow together with ambition.
“Also, for the club, it’s not simple to go into the transfer market and sign players free like Perisic and Forster and sign players on loan like Lenglet, and to sign players with money like Richarlison and Bissouma and Spence.
“Spence is an investment of the club. The club wanted to do it. I said okay, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us. The club decided to buy him.”
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It is somewhat surprising to see Conte taking on the suggestion of the club, going by his latest admission. After all, the coach has made a name for himself for being stubborn with his ways, although he could have plans for Spence, having given his final go-ahead for this deal and obviously thinks that he has the quality to succeed.
Spence’s career has taken an upward trajectory over the past year or so where he has impressed with flying colours even against top-notch opposition like Liverpool, for example. Perhaps that could have played a part in Conte’s approval of the 21-year-old’s transfer move.
There is no cause for concern in this case as the Italian boss considers Spence as someone who could become an “important player” in the future. Hence, it will be interesting to see what Conte has in store for the youngster, with Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal also being in the right wing-back position.
Having three wing-backs on the right-hand side is not feasible, which calls for the need to trim the squad. Emerson could be the one to head out, considering how he has had trouble when it comes to finding consistency in his displays.
