Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou had big decisions to make when arranging his line-up for the visit of West Ham this afternoon, but one player didn't even make the matchday squad in what is a baffling choice by the Spurs boss.
Before the international break, Spurs put in a horrendous second half display against Brighton which saw them throw away a two-goal lead in disastrous style to end up on the wrong side of a 3-2 result. Postecoglou lamented his players for the manner of the defeat at the time, but a home game against their London rivals today was the perfect opportunity to put things right.
Earlier this week, Tottenham made a big off-the-field decision by offering Djed Spence a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2028. That move marked a great turnaround of fortunes for the young defender, whose Spurs career appeared to be over this time last year.
But, he's still not been selected by Postecoglou for today's game. There have been unconfirmed rumours of a minor injury, but even before today, he had only played 10 times for the club since joining in 2022 – making the contract decision baffling regardless. He is also not in the Europa League squad.
Djed Spence Excluded from Squad
Defender was not involved at all for West Ham game
Spence has worked hard in pre-season and behind the scenes, impressing Postecoglou with his newfound bright attitude. It has been enough to help the 24-year-old work his way back into Tottenham's plans, with more minutes played already this season than in his previous two years at the club.
Despite some claiming Spence should have started ahead of Destiny Udogie for this weekend's big game against the Hammers, Postecoglou opted to keep faith in the young Italian after a poor showing against Brighton two weeks ago.
That's not the most controversial choice, but what has come as a surprise to anyone looking at Postecoglou's team for the London derby is that Spence is not even in the matchday squad. That's not exactly the way Spence would have wanted to celebrate his new contract, that's for sure.
Spence Deserved his New Contract
Postecoglou praised player's attitude
The new contract for Spence came as something of a surprise, despite his recent resurgence. Spence may have found himself climbing the ranks at Spurs of late, but he is still being limited to a bit-part role and substitute appearances. Indeed, the Englishman is not even included in Tottenham's Europa League squad for the first half of the campaign.
But, speaking to Football.London this week, Postecoglou explained why Spence earned that new deal, saying:
"I said a couple of days ago and consistently say, most of a player's future is in their own hands. They're as much in control as anyone else. I think sometimes footballers forget that. With Djed, it could have been easy for him to go out on loan again. But when he came into pre-season, he was determined to make a career for himself here at Tottenham rather than wait to be loaned out.
"He did everything right in training, his attitude was great. He's a good footballer, I think the way we play suits him and he's knuckled down. He's earned himself a spot on the roster in our squad. The rest is up to him again. Because it's an easy decision for me to make when I see that. Like I said, sometimes footballers think their fate is in other peoples' hands. For the most part, it's in their own hands. If they're doing well and doing everything right, the future tends to take care of itself... and Djed's certainly done that."
Spence will now have to wait until next weekend to get a chance to be back in Tottenham's squad, given his exclusion from Europa League action.