Matthew Chadder

Fri 5 January 2024 11:10, UK

Ange Postecoglou is in no position to turn his nose up at any defenders at this moment in time, and as a result, could offer one final chance to Tottenham outcast, Djed Spence.

Spurs’ Australian head coach has many issues at this moment in time when it comes to his squad depth and the availability of his players.

His midfield has arguably been hit the hardest, due to the loss of James Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr to both injury and AFCON, but it is defensively where the 58-year-old has the fewest options.

While they are not first-choice, Postecoglou can still call on the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso in the middle of the park, while Dejan Kulusevski has proved he can play in the number ten role and Rodrigo Bentancur has returned from injury.

It is at the back where he has very few people to call on. Beyond Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, his defensive options are limited, which has led to many players being forced to play out of position so far this season when the defensive duo have been unavailable.

Ben Davies has operated as a left-sided central defender, leaving Destiny Udogie as the only senior left-back in the squad on most matchdays. As a result, Emerson Royal, who is a right-back by trade, has been required to fill in on that side as well as at centre-back.

That is why Spence’s return to Hotspur Way might have arrived at the perfect time.

The former Nottingham Forest loanee made his return to the Championship in the summer, joining up with Daniel Farke’s Leeds United on a season-long loan deal (Leeds United Official, 30 August).

However, Tottenham announced via their official X account on Thursday (4 January), that the right-back had returned to the club early.

The 23-year-old only managed seven appearances for the Championship outfit as his season was disrupted by injury, and his time in West Yorkshire was cut short after the Whites triggered a break clause in his loan agreement (The Athletic, 4 January).

He was certainly not in Postecoglou’s plans this past summer, but a lot has changed since then, and the former Celtic manager has a lot fewer options at his disposal right now, which could open the door for Spence to make an unlikely return to the first-team fold at Hotspur Way.

Some of his recent displays at Elland Road suggest there is still quality within Spence.

As per Sofascore, the defender started the 4-0 win home win over Ipswich Town and impressed. He made three tackles, was not dribbled past once and won seven of his 11 ground duels. Going forward, he completed 84 per cent of his passes, with one of those being key, played three accurate long balls forward and completed four of his five dribble attempts.

He did follow this up with a poor performance, which perhaps emphasises why Postecoglou has his doubts. In the 2-1 defeat at Preston, he managed to win just four of his 11 ground duels on this occasion, was dribbled past twice and failed with both of his dribble attempts. He did still play a key pass but only completed 77 per cent of his passes overall.

That inconsistency is a concern, but sometimes all a player needs is a run of games and an opportunity to build some confidence, and it is fair to say that Spence has hardly been offered that opportunity in north London.

Since he arrived at the club in the summer of 2022, he has made just four league appearances for Spurs, and while it was quite some time ago now, his form for Nottingham Forest in 2021/22 does demonstrate that he has the characteristics of an attacking full-back.

As per fbref, Spence was in the 99th percentile of his positional peers for the number of progressive carries he made in the Championship that year (4.35 per 90). This is ideal for Postecoglou who has proven so far in his time at Tottenham that he likes to allow for space in the inside channels where his full-backs can burst into.

In addition, Spence was in the top five per cent for carries into the final third (2.54 per 90), the top four per cent for successful take-ons (1.89 per 90), and the top two per cent for take-ons attempted (4.20 per 90).

Udogie and Pedro Porro have found themselves in the final third time and time again, and this is an area of the pitch where Spence feels comfortable.

While this is not the Championship, and it is no longer the 2021/22 season, Spence is still only 23, and perhaps just needs the chance to play to unlock that quality again. Postecoglou has very few choices, and there is no reason why he shouldn’t take a gamble on Spence, especially when the upside outweighs the risk.

In other Tottenham news, Postecoglou has been handed yet another blow as one first-team player faces “months” on the sidelines.