Djed Spence has proven a lot of people wrong this season, it’s fair to say.
The Tottenham defender has won Man of the Match in each of his last two Premier League appearances, and he finally looks to be getting to grips with Premier League football.
Spence has had his ups and downs throughout his career. Ange Postecoglou had an issue with Spence when he first arrived, while Antonio Conte barely ever spoke to Spence when he was at the club.
Daniel Farke at Leeds also didn’t get on with Spence, and Spence had issues with lateness at Leeds, while these sorts of issues originated with Neil Warnock at Middlesbrough.
Indeed, Spence and Warnock had a high-profile falling out at Boro, so much so that the defender was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest.
Spence would eventually win promotion with Forest, and upon winning the playoffs, he sent a message directly to Warnock.
Now, speaking on the Seaman Says Podcast, Warnock has been discussing Spence’s recent rise to prominence at Tottenham.
Warnock made it clear that he didn’t like Spence as a person during his time at Middlesbrough, but he’s actually happy to see him doing well at Spurs, saying that he hopes the penny has now dropped.
Neil Warnock discusses Djed Spence’s rise at Tottenham
Warnock spoke about how good Spence has been recently.
The former Middlesbrough manager says he’s very happy to see Spence doing so well, even if they didn’t get on.
Warnock says that he never holds grudges and that, ultimately, he’s happy to see his former player thriving.
“Well, I watched Djed Spence and I thought, what a player, you know. Unfortunately for me, I’m hoping that some of the things I said to him at Middlesbrough might have come through. Because he wasn’t a nice lad.
“He had a few problems, I thought, at Middlesbrough. And he had to sort himself out. But last night, when you looked at him on the pitch last night, I even thought, I bet he’s done all right off the pitch now.
“I’m hoping he has. Because I didn’t like him as a person. But skill-wise, that was never in doubt, really.”
“But even when he first went to Tottenham, you know, I was watching him and he was like, he wasn’t playing in position, I thought. You know, he was getting dragged all over the place. He’s learnt so quick, hasn’t he?
“He’s had to as well. I mean, he’s had to do and, you know, when we had our disagreement, I won’t tell you what it was about, but it was in Covid and he wasn’t clever, really. I was disappointed in him.
“But he was one of them that you’d say, you don’t know whether he’s going to end up at Bromley or he’s going to end up at Spurs. You know, it’s up to him, really..
“And when he went to Spurs, I don’t think Conte wanted him. I think they bought him because they wanted to get some English players in, I think, because I don’t think Conte wanted him, if I’m honest. But, and you’ll give him a chance.
“And I looked at it, I thought he was refreshing me. That’s nice. Everything he did, I thought, that’ll do for me.”
“That and I don’t hold grudges against players like that. I get disappointed in somebody off the field if I think what they’re doing is wrong. And so, and you know, you can’t, you try and, you try as a manager, you try and right the wrongs and you try and help players become better people.
“And sometimes you’re successful and sometimes you’re not. You can’t win everyone. But I hope the pennies drop within me.
“I remember a big picture somebody showed me when he went, he had a big cigar and having a go at me, you know, about what I said, but listen, it gives me a lot of pleasure when I see him playing like he did the other night.”
Djed Spence’s record under Neil Warnock
Spence and Warnock may not have got on, but, interestingly, Warnock is still the manager Spence has played the most games under in his career.
Indeed, the full-back has played 51 matches under Warnock, and he didn’t have a terrible record in that time.
Of course, decent results on the pitch don’t necessarily represent harmony behind the scenes.
Warnock hasn’t disclosed what happened between him and Spence, but he alludes to the fact that something happened during lockdown, and in that highly-emotive period, it’s easy to see how a player and a manager would fall out irreparably.
Spence has ultimately gone on to become a star for one of the biggest teams in England, and who knows? Perhaps and England call-up could be on the horizon for the Spurs ace in the near future if he keeps this up.