Djed Spence given Tottenham lifeline after impressing Ange Postecoglou

Spence joined Spurs two years ago an initial £12.5million fee but struggled for opportunities during the 2022-23 campaign and was sent on loan to Rennes.

Further temporary moves followed in Postecoglou's debut season, with a productive spell at Genoa expected to result in a permanent switch, but no deal could be agreed and Spence returned to Hotspur Way.

With Tottenham missing several defenders after international commitments and first-choice left-back Destiny Udogie injured during pre-season, Spence earned opportunities in several positions and caught the eye of coaching staff.

It means Spence should at least be on the bench for Spurs' trip to Leicester on Monday when the 24-year-old will face his former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, who has taken over at King Power Stadium.

"You would know about it if it was," Postecoglou said when asked if Spence's attitude had been an issue.

"He wouldn't be part of it if it was, but that's probably something that, whether that was right or wrong, as a person and as a player, Djed has taken responsibility for that and not allowed that to be part of the conversation this pre-season.

"For me and all the coaches, we've had absolutely zero issues with his attitude.

"He's trained really well, he's fit into the group really well. That's on him. He's the one who hasn't allowed it to become an issue.

"We had quite a few guys who were out on loan last year.

"Part of me is saying, OK, we need to keep evolving this squad. The guys go out on loan for a reason. Are they a better fit? Are they part of what we're doing?

"With Djed, I had an open mind. I certainly think the kind of characteristics he has would fit into our football.

"It's then more about, OK, well he obviously didn't fit last year, will he fit this year?

"He's had a good pre-season. He's trained really well. He seems to have fit into the group really well.

"I don't think left-back is his obvious position, I think he's more of a right full-back.

"But the fact that he can play out on the left again gives us some good options into the season where with European football, we're going to have more challenges.

"It was quite obvious last year that whenever we had disruptions in terms of injuries or suspensions, our performance dropped a fair bit.

"We're trying to narrow that gap. Hopefully having Djed as part of our squad allows us to do that."

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