How Djed Spence could still be on way out of Tottenham as new terms set for exit

Tottenham Hotspur may thank and curse Djed Spence for his World Cup performances.

Indeed, when Thomas Tuchel named his England squad bound for this summer's tournament in North America, Spence's inclusion was one of the big shocks.

The 25-year-old has been a divisive player during his time at Tottenham, with his ability and potential always clear to see, but consistency issues and competition for playing time has hindered his progress.

Spence played in every single one of England's seven World Cup games this summer, starting three and culminating over 300 minutes of tournament action.

His best performance was saved for last though, as he was by far and away England's standout player in an inspired semi-final showing against Argentina, despite the Three Lions crashing out in typical England style.

Spence's exploits at the World Cup casts a new spotlight on his Tottenham future though, and one it remains to be seen whether Spurs chiefs are happy to have him stand in or not.

How much Tottenham now want for Djed Spence revealed

Tottenham News predicted Spence would star for England against Argentina, and that's exactly what he did.

It was his names on the lips of every England fan coming out of that match, and there will no doubt have been many a Tottenham fan watching on with pride and excitement.

Excitement at the possibility of some extra digits being added to his price tag this summer, if, indeed, Spurs have any interest in selling him now.

According to a report from Italian outlet Tuttosport, Inter Milan are now convinced on signing Spence this summer off the back of his aforementioned Argentina performance, and is their number one target at the right-back position.

It's stated that talks between Inter and Tottenham are likely to begin again on Monday, after England's third-place match with France on Saturday night.

The report claims that Spurs had initially given off the impression that Spence could be had for between €35-40million euros (£29.7-34m) prior to the World Cup.

However, it's now claimed that Tottenham's asking price will be far closer to €40m (£34m), and that several Premier League sides are also making their interest known.

We know that Spence played superbly well against Argentina, but just how strong was his tournament overall compared to his positional rivals?

Why there was few better than Spence at the World Cup

A versatile defender, Spence was predominantly played as a left-back by Tuchel at the World Cup, but did feature once or twice down the right.

In a tournament that sets him up for many future England caps moving forward, the Tottenham man proved why he can be one of the very best full-backs in world football.

As per FotMob, Spence ranked in the top 5.7 per cent of players in his position at the World Cup for his 10.1 defensive contributions, 4.04 tackles won and 0.19 non-penalty xG (expected goals) per game respectively.

He also put 0.58 shots on target per match, which placed him in the leading 9.2 percentile amongst his positional rivals, whilst also averaging 4.04 clearances and just 0.29 fouls committed per game as well.

Spence won a total of 22 duels at a 61.1 per cent win rate, took 247 touches, blocked two shots and wasn't shown a single card of any colour throughout the whole tournament.

Roberto De Zerbi must be on the phone to Tottenham chiefs instructing them not to sell Spence after the World Cup, as he now enters the prime of his career, all of that potential and ability might be truly starting to come together.