View: Ange Postecoglou could offer Djed Spence chance to revive his Tottenham career
Tottenham signed Djed Spence from Middlesborough last summer after his fantastic loan spell at Nottingham Forest as he helped the Reds win promotion.
The deal would cost Spurs up to £20million and while then manager Antonio Conte was clearly calling out for a right wing-back, as the season got underway the Italian would rarely utilise Spence. As a result, he was sent out on loan in search of first-team football to French side Rennes where he made ten appearances.
The 22-year-old returned from his loan early to recover from a knee injury which has now kept him out of the Under-21 European championships, Football London understands.
Clearly, it was not a positive first season in North London for Spence, however, Ange Postecgolou’s arrival could change the young player’s fortunes. The 57-year-old manager prefers to use an attacking right-back, something which Spence certainly is, as the stats suggest.
While on loan at Nottingham Forest, the English full-back boasted some of the most impressive numbers in the division. Most notably, Spence was in the top one per cent for progressive carries compared to his positional peers in the Championship, making 4.35 per 90 (FBREF). This is ideal for Postecoglou who likes to operate with a 4-3-3 and use wide wingers to allow space in the inside channels for his full-backs to burst into.
As well as this, 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).
His total carrying distance was also 267.54 yards per 90 which put him in the top two per cent and he found himself in the top three per cent for progressive carrying distance, 140.21 yards per 90. All these numbers are a perfect match with his new manager’s style.
During his time at Rennes, even in his limited minutes on the pitch, Spence still showed signs of this attacking quality, attempting 4.24 take-ons per 90, putting him in the top eight per cent of Ligue 1 full-backs and completing 2.36 of these take-ons per 90, impressively positioning him in the top two per cent.
However, it is not just the right-backs attacking attributes going forward which make him such an exciting prospect. He stands at 6ft and this height helps him defensively, as he won 80 per cent of his aerial battles while at Rennes, placing him in the 97th percentile.
Overall, Spence is yet to get a fair chance at Tottenham so far, and the numbers suggest he definitely deserves that opportunity, especially under the club’s new attack-minded manager.
In other Tottenham news, stats reveal another player’s time at Tottenham might be up.