Djed Spence waited 881 days for his first Tottenham start
Tottenham paid a reported 20 million pounds for Djed Spence in 2022, and manager Antonio Conte promptly called him a club investment rather than his own choice. Four loan spells and 881 days later, the full-back finally started a game for Spurs. Within a year he had a Europa League medal and an England cap.
Born in London in August 2000 and of Jamaican heritage, Spence has an older sister, the actress Karla-Simone Spence. He learned the game with Peckham Town and Junior Elite, spent time in Fulham's academy, then joined Middlesbrough in 2018. His first league goal came against Huddersfield in December 2019, and he was named the EFL's young player of the month soon after.
His breakthrough came on loan at Nottingham Forest in 2021-22. He scored in an FA Cup win over Leicester, and in March 2022 collected the Championship player of the month, goal of the month for a long-range shot against Queens Park Rangers, and a second young player award, becoming the first to win that prize twice. Forest were promoted and he made both divisional teams of the season.
Conte's cool reception, which Spence said shattered his confidence, left him with six appearances by January 2023. Loans followed at Rennes, where he started a 2-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain that ended the hosts' 23-month unbeaten home league run, then at Leeds, who cut the deal short over concerns about his attitude, and at Genoa, who could not afford the 8.5 million pound option to buy. Injuries to Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie finally opened the door. He started a 5-0 rout of Southampton in December 2024, scored his first Premier League goal against Ipswich in February 2025, and came off the bench in the Europa League final that ended the club's 17-year wait for a trophy.
A convert to Islam, Spence became the first Muslim to play for England's senior men in September 2025. At the 2026 World Cup he played through much of the tournament in a protective jaw brace, and in the third-place match he won the penalty in England's 6-4 victory over France. Inter Milan then signed him for a reported 31.5 million euros.
Source: Djed Spence
