Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has enjoyed a superb turnaround at Spurs this season.
The Tottenham full-back has gone from being a near-certainty to be sold to recently securing himself a new Spurs contract until the summer of 2028.
Spence initially struggled to make an impact at Spurs after joining from Middlesbrough back in 2022.
Prior to this season, he had made just six appearances for Spurs and was sent out on loan three times while on the Lilywhites’ books.
However, Spence worked hard in pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and has forced his way into Ange Postecoglou’s plans.
The 24-year-old has made nine appearances so far this season, scoring once and grabbing two assists.
And with Destiny Udogie now injured, Spence is set for an extended run in the Tottenham starting XI.
Postecoglou, speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Newcastle United, lifted the lid on Spence’s turnaround at N17.
Ange Postecoglou says Djed Spence has ‘really knuckled down’ at Tottenham
Postecoglou, speaking to football.london, said Spence has “really knuckled down” and is making the most of the opportunities presented to him.
“Djed, a lot of it is just down to him,” said the Tottenham manager. “He’s really knuckled down. He’s had to be patient.
“I think he’s been really good for us. Even in tough times you get these spurts of opportunities for others that maybe wouldn’t have happened.
“The reality is with everyone healthy maybe he wouldn’t have got the opportunity and in January we’d be looking at a different scenario for him, but right now, he’s performing really well.
“He is very important for us. With Destiny going down, especially. Not because he’s available but he’s played well, made an impact.
“Maybe he senses the opportunity to become not just part of Tottenham on a permanent basis in his own mind, where he feels settled, but now pushing to be a starting player and I think he has the capacity to do that.”
Postecoglou discusses Spence change in mentality
Postecoglou was then asked whether there was something lacking from Spence’s attitude or game that had held him back before.
“I don’t think there was something missing,” he replied. “There was possibly a reason he wasn’t settled but at the start of pre-season I mentioned there was an opportunity for him here.
“We were going to give him that opportunity and not necessarily get him out on loan. The rest was up to him and a lot of that is how he dealt with the fact he had to train hard everyday without a lot of prospect of playing.
“He impressed everyone with his attitude towards that. Maybe in the past he was a little bit impatient, maybe his attitude wasn’t great in terms of the fact he wasn’t playing and wasn’t feeling like a regular.
“This year he’s had to bide his time and he’s done that in the best possible way and waited for his opportunity, and now when he’s got it, he’s grown.
“Some of it is maturity as well. He’s not a young boy any more and probably feels like if he’s going to have a Tottenham career now is the time to grab that, and I think he has done that.”
Spence lays foundations for big 2025/26 campaign
It wasn’t that long ago that Spence was being talked about as a potential departure from Spurs, but he has worked hard to get back in the picture.
Tottenham have been impressed enough to offer him a new contract, and now he is set for an extended run in the starting XI in wake of Udogie’s injury.
Spence’s Europa League squad omission was a blow, but Postecoglou made it clear that this was due to the team’s lack of eligible club-trained players as things stood.
Should Spence impress in the Tottenham first team, there’s no doubt that he’ll be setting himself up for a big campaign next season.