The Athletic

Archie Gray looked up and saw five red shirts charging towards him. He darted towards his own goal, intercepted Cody Gakpo’s cross and heroically blocked Dominik Szoboszlai’s shot while he was lying in a heap on the floor.

It felt like the 18-year-old was trying to single-handedly hold Tottenham Hotspur’s defence together as they were battered by wave after wave of attacks from Liverpool. However, the rebound from Szoboszlai’s shot dropped to Mohamed Salah, who scored from a few yards out and Liverpool went on to win 6-3.

At the beginning of December, Gray was still patiently waiting to make his first start for Spurs in the Premier League after he joined from Leeds United in July for £40million ($50m). He prefers to play in central midfield but has started their last five games in all competitions at centre-back. The England Under-21 international has found himself grappling with Salah, Luis Diaz and Rasmus Hojlund.

With Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Cristian Romero suffering from injuries over the last few weeks, Ange Postecoglou has entrusted Gray to plug the gaps. He has played in every position across the defence and has sometimes swapped roles in the same game.

“He hasn’t missed a beat and it’s been brilliant to watch,” Postecoglou told reporters last week. “Archie’s defending has been solid and he’s got quality on the ball, but he’s handling what we are asking him to do, a really big job not just for a one-off game, brilliantly.”

This is the story of how Gray became a star in the making.

Gray was destined to become a professional footballer. His grandfather, Frank, and great uncle, Eddie, helped Leeds to win multiple trophies in the 1960s and ’70s under Don Revie. Gray’s father, Andy, was part of the Leeds side that lost the 1996 League Cup final to Aston Villa. His three predecessors won caps for Scotland, too.

Gray has three younger brothers and Harry, 16, is a highly rated striker in Leeds’ academy. It should not be a surprise to learn that he was introduced to a football programme specially designed for young children called Socatots when he was still wearing nappies.

“Andy carried Archie into one of those classes in his arms when he was only one,” Simon Clifford, the founder and former owner of Socatots, tells The Athletic. “My wife was his first coach. When he was four, he joined one of the Brazilian soccer schools I had set up and played futsal. He was there for about nine years.”

Futsal is a version of football that originates in South America and is mainly played indoors on hard courts with smaller balls. Matches are contested between two teams of five players on small pitches and it encourages close control and skill. Clifford helped to pioneer the sport and Brazilian training techniques in England.

“I had devised a training scheme which aimed to promote technical excellence,” says Clifford, who still works with Gray and now runs Integer Football, which offers players individual coaching sessions. “You had to be two-footed and master a range of movements and skills. You would be graded at different levels, so Archie worked through them.

“There’s no way to get out of trouble (in futsal) other than to learn how to move with the ball and manipulate it quickly. What we do in England is different to how Brazilians play as the ball is bigger and bouncier. The version I played with Archie was even more extreme as we used a size-two ball (52-56cm in circumference compared to a 68-70cm standard size-five ball typically used for adult 11-a-side football). It moves like an ice hockey puck.

“The game is very fast and the gyms we played in were tiny. It’s chaotic but from the hours you accrue, you eventually learn to play in a small space, so when Archie plays football, it doesn’t matter what position he is in because he finds time and can come out of a tight situation, and carry the ball.”

The next stage of Gray’s development came when he moved to St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate at 11. He became interested in athletics, competing in a cross-country event at national finals, and, on the pitch, was also given his first exposure to playing in defence.

“I remember Archie’s first training session and he just played at a different level to everybody else,” Aidan Pass, Gray’s former PE teacher, tells The Athletic. “He played like a man. The way he read the game, he knew what to do with his body, how to tackle and he would use two feet to dribble with the ball. You knew he was something special.

“The team he played in was not brilliant. There were a few games that season where we were winning but it was tight and you could see the opposition coming back into it. Archie would look over to me and I would say: ‘Drop to centre-back to make it impossible for the opposition to score.’ Even though he is a midfielder who likes to get forward, the team’s needs would always come first.

“Up until Year 10, he played most of the time and would never use the fact he was at Leeds to not play — he enjoyed playing with his friends. He is a lovely lad and would always stop and talk to you. He was training and performing to a high level, but that arrogance never came across. After he left school, he attended our sports awards evening because he won our footballer of the year award. He was around Leeds’ first team, so that was pretty special.”

Clifford started to focus on improving Gray’s speed, power and agility as he grew older, leaning on his previous experiences working with Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Theo Walcott, Micah Richards and Gareth Bale.

“I like to do SWOT analysis, which focuses on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats,” Clifford says. “What is coming along that can get in the way of what we are trying to do? Archie is very coachable and a good learner. There are a lot of things he had to work on and some of them might have taken a few years to get right.

“When Archie was nine, we started to set goals. We would mark out what he wanted to achieve by 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc. That is powerful because even as we tick off boxes, he is still miles away from where he said he can reach.”

Gray joined Leeds when he was eight and rapidly progressed through their academy. At 15, he started training with the first team and head coach Marcelo Bielsa named him on the bench for a Premier League fixture against Arsenal at the Emirates in December 2021. He turned up at school a couple of days later wearing his official Leeds tracksuit. Gray’s parents and his school had to come up with a special arrangement that allowed him to miss classes.

“When he started training with us, people were saying: ‘This kid is really good but his younger brother (Harry) is even better’,” says Adam Forshaw, who played for Leeds between 2018 and 2023. “He trained in a few of the ‘murderball’ sessions and I would often come up against him. He had so much energy and was tenacious. Whenever you said anything in training, you could tell he genuinely wanted to listen. He was like a kid in a sweet shop. Away from the pitch, he was so polite and respectful. You could tell he had come from a good family.

“He was quite tall and looked lanky because he was so slim. He had his curly hair and it looked like he needed to grow into his body. I remember he picked up an injury and Leeds took care of him. They didn’t want to cut any corners. He spent a lot of time in the gym and you could see his physique start to develop.”

Leeds beat Brentford on the final day of the 2021-22 season to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Gray can be seen celebrating Jack Harrison’s stoppage-time winner on the bench and in the dressing room afterwards. He returned home late at night and sat his GCSE geography exam at 9am the following day. “We were all in euphoria on the bus on the way back,” Forshaw says. “We were all having a drink but he was probably just watching me get drunk.”

Gray had to change separately from his team-mates until he was 18 due to safeguarding rules and would often get ready in the officials’ room or the anti-doping room. When Leeds went on a pre-season tour to Australia in 2022, he could not attend any of the team-bonding events and had to stay with physio Henry McStay, who acted as his guardian on the trip. Gray remained a part of the first-team squad under Jesse Marsch the following season but a foot injury interrupted his progress.

“We were injured at the same time and I brought my son, who was five or six, into the gym, and Archie played with him for about an hour,” Forshaw says. “I made a joke to Archie and the physios that he had someone closer to his age than in the first team. Then he said, ‘I’ve got a brother the same age as your son’, and I just thought: ‘Wow, he is really young’. I was 31 and he was half my age, but I couldn’t speak highly enough of him. He is such a well-mannered kid. I can tell nothing will change whatever he goes on to achieve.”

Gray made his senior debut for Leeds at 17 against Cardiff City on the opening weekend of the 2023-24 season. He made 47 league appearances (including play-offs), primarily at right-back, in their unsuccessful quest for promotion, winning the Championship’s young player of the season award. He excelled in their 3-2 defeat against Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup despite coming up against Moises Caicedo and Argentina World Cup-winner Enzo Fernandez, a midfield combination worth more than £200m. A month later, he scored on his England Under-21 debut in a 5-1 victory over Azerbaijan and was namechecked by Gareth Southgate, who was head coach of the senior side.

“He is probably the most grounded player I have come across,” Clifford says. “Last season was a breakthrough year. You would see him in the morning, the day after he played at Elland Road in front of 30,000 people, and you would think he didn’t play. He would only ask questions about you.”

Leeds were reluctant to sell Gray but needed to raise money to ease concerns around profit and sustainability rules (PSR) after losing last season’s Championship play-off final to Southampton. Gray came close to joining Brentford in the summer. He completed a medical and a prospective apartment in Richmond had been picked out, but he decided to become a part of Postecoglou’s project at Spurs.

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The long-term plan is to groom him as a holding midfielder and he regularly works with Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur in training. He has forged close relationships with senior players including Davies, Son Heung-min, Fraser Forster and James Maddison. Lucas Bergvall, who is one month older than Gray and joined Spurs in the summer too, described him as an “unbelievable player and an even better person” after the 5-0 victory over Southampton this month.

Gray has started Spurs’ six matches in the Europa League and produced a brilliant pass that led to Will Lankshear scoring against Galatasaray in Istanbul. Gray’s family are Celtic supporters and he survived a 1-1 draw with Rangers at Ibrox.

He completed the full 90 minutes when Spurs beat Manchester City in the Carabao Cup in October and helped them reach the semi-finals of that competition with last week’s 4-3 Carabao Cup victory over Manchester United. He has made 11 appearances in the Premier League for a total of 417 minutes.

“I’ve worked at the school for over 20 years and we have had some talented athletes, but nobody who has reached that level,” Pass says. “You see him on TV and it’s a little bit bizarre. It makes you feel proud. I’ve seen him grow and develop since the age of 11.”

“Sometimes people will watch Archie and probably think he doesn’t pull up trees, but that’s because he plays like a reliable player already,” adds Forshaw. “He is going to be a machine for you constantly. I watched him closely against Manchester United and his distribution was brilliant. He got in a couple of great blocks. The three goals were nothing to do with him.”

It speaks volumes of Gray’s quality that he is performing so well in an unfamiliar position at such a young age. It only increases the excitement about what he might be capable of when he returns to midfield in the future. Spurs are suffering from an injury crisis and inconsistent results this season but Gray’s development has been a shining light.

(Top photos: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images and Simon Clifford)

Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies has suffered a setback and won’t now be available for Sunday’s game with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Wales international had returned to training following a hamstring injury picked up in the defeat to Bournemouth on December 5.

It was hoped he could bolster a backline that has seen a number of absentees including Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero with midfielder Archie Gray called in to deputise.

Ange Postecoglou has revealed Davies, 31, has suffered a recurrence of the same issue and is now set for a further spell on the sidelines.

Asked on Friday whether he would be available, he replied: “No, he is ruled out, unfortunately he had a setback in training and is ruled out for a couple of weeks.

“We are in a tough spot and have been for a while. The nature of football and the fixture schedule means we have always been on a fine line. It’s another test for us.”

Postecoglou’s defensive problems were added to by Radu Dragusin being forced off in the closing stages of the Boxing Day defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Romania international Drugusin has been Gray’s regular partner in the centre of defence in recent games but could now too be an injury concern with an ankle issue.

“(It’s) a bit early to tell,” Postecoglou added. “He obviously tweaked his ankle last night and felt like he couldn’t continue. We have to wait and see.”

Defeat to Forest — a ninth of the season — left Spurs 11th in the Premier League table.

They host Wolves on Sunday before welcoming Newcastle United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 4.

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Tottenham Hotspur will be glad to put 2024 behind them.

The last couple of months have been a huge test for Ange Postecoglou’s side as they have struggled to compete in the Premier League and the Europa League with what feels like a never-ending injury list. The January transfer window will give Spurs the opportunity to take stock and strengthen their squad… if they so choose.

Here, The Athletic breaks down what to expect over the next month.

What positions will they be looking at in January?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tottenham’s plans for the January transfer window are linked to their injury crisis.

Over the last few weeks, Postecoglou has had to cope without his first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and centre-backs Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies. Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are both recovering from hamstring injuries while Mikey Moore is slowly returning to full fitness following a virus.

Their thin squad forced Postecoglou to name five teenagers on the bench for the 5-0 victory at Southampton along with Brandon Austin — the 25-year-old goalkeeper who has come through Spurs’ academy but has never made a senior appearance.

“A lot will depend on what happens in the next three weeks — who we get back in that time, where we sit with the health of the squad at the beginning of January,” Postecoglou said on December 6. “January is a tricky one. I wouldn’t expect us to do too many significant things in January — but if on January 1 we’re in exactly the same position we are now with nine players out I reckon we’d be doing something.”

The latest update is that Van de Ven and Romero will be available in January with Vicario hopeful of returning the following month. Even so, Postecoglou said on Tuesday that they need to reinforce in January — even if that might be difficult in reality.

However, they will look out for opportunities to improve their attacking options. They are over-reliant on Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson to start every game while Postecoglou has made his feelings about Timo Werner’s effectiveness clear.

“There’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that front third over the next couple of transfer windows,” Postecoglou said before the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

“(Solanke) coming in has been great, but again we can’t overload him either, because ultimately, you know, even if he stays fit and nothing happens, performance will invariably drop if his energy levels drop. So it’s something we’re aware of and need to plan for.”

Which players do they want?

Tottenham need more in attack and Postecoglou was asked about the possibility of signing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United following the forward’s comments that he was “ready for a new challenge.”

“If I looked at everyone we were linked to, I would have no time to do anything else, to be honest,” Postecoglou said. “I have got other people to do that part of the process. For us, we’ve been pretty disciplined in what we’re trying to build here and we’ll continue to be so.”

It is an easy link to make but, reading between the lines, any potential move for Rashford feels unlikely. He turned 27 in October and Spurs have focused on signing players under the age of 23 since Postecoglou was appointed. Rashford prefers to play on the left wing, which is where the captain Son, Werner and Odobert operate.

The England international’s £325,000-a-week wages would be a stumbling block too. The smarter option would be to sign a backup to Solanke; Richarlison’s struggles for form and fitness show he cannot be relied upon to the extent Postecoglou would like.

After Vicario fractured his ankle during the 4-0 victory over Manchester City, Spurs were linked with free agents including Keylor Navas and Loris Karius. Despite Fraser Forster making a couple of horrible mistakes in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, then conceding six against Liverpool, the wisest move might be to sign a younger back-up goalkeeper for the long-term.

There is interest in Burnley’s James Trafford but, with Vicario hopefully back in a couple of months, any move is more likely to happen in the summer. Trafford is an appealing prospect because he is a 22-year-old homegrown player with Championship and Premier League experience.

It has been widely reported that as part of the negotiations with Real Betis over selling Giovani Lo Celso, Spurs included a clause relating to Johnny Cardoso. Tottenham have a first refusal option on the 23-year-old midfielder but this only becomes active in the summer. Cardoso joined Betis in January after spending the beginning of his career with Brazilian side Internacional. He plays as a holding midfielder and has made 11 appearances in La Liga this season.

Who will they be looking to sell?

Tottenham’s most valuable asset who is not playing regularly is Richarlison. The Brazilian forward arrived from Everton for an initial £50million in July 2022 but has just 12 league goals since. It is no secret that he was on the market last summer and there was interest from Saudi Arabia that would have allowed Tottenham to make their money back on him — which they would have struggled to do if they sold him to a European club. But Richarlison did not want to move to Saudi Arabia so remained in north London.

It has been another frustrating campaign for the 27-year-old which has been disrupted by calf and hamstring issues. He has been restricted to five substitute appearances in the league for a total of 88 minutes, but is expected to return from injury at the beginning of January.

The other player to watch out for is Sergio Reguilon. The 28-year-old is not a part of Postecoglou’s long-term plans and he enters the final six months of his contract in January. The full-back will be allowed to negotiate with foreign clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement with a view to leaving for nothing in the summer. He made his first appearance for Spurs since April 2022 in the Carabao Cup victory over Manchester United, and that was only due to injuries to key players.

Son and Davies will also enter the final six months of their contracts, but Spurs plan to trigger one-year options on both.

Will anyone move out on loan?

Spurs have a small squad and they are using everybody right now so the only players who might leave on loan will be from the academy.

Talented youngsters Alfie Devine (Westerlo), Ashley Phillips (Stoke City), Alejo Veliz (Espanyol), Dane Scarlett (Oxford United), Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient), Jamie Donley (Leyton Orient) and George Abbott (Notts County) moved on loan in the summer and are benefiting from regular game time.

What moves have they made already?

Tottenham completed a deal in July for Yang Min-hyeok from South Korean side Gangwon FC. The 18-year-old winger has arrived in London and met a few of his new team-mates but does not officially join Spurs, and therefore cannot train with them, until January 1. Yang is focused on settling into life in a new country and having English lessons.

Depending on how he adapts, Yang could even add to Postecoglou’s wide options in the first-team squad, although the expectation is that he will be closer to the level of Spurs’ academy teenagers rather than players such as Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Last year, Tottenham agreed a deal to sign Luka Vuskovic from Hajduk Split, and the Croatian centre-back is currently on loan at Westerlo in Belgium. He is still 17 but has a reputation as one of the best young defenders in European football. Vuskovic cannot join Spurs until he is 18 and his birthday is in February so supporters will have to wait until next season to get a glimpse of him.

Along with Yang, Vuskovic represents the next stage in Spurs’ policy of rejuvenating their squad for the future.

Who will make the key decisions in January?

Ever since Postecoglou was appointed in June 2023, he has been given plenty of say over transfer policy, and which players come in and out at Spurs. He works closely with technical director Johan Lange, who was appointed in October 2023, filling a gap in the official structure left by Fabio Paratici’s resignation six months before.

Lange has shifted the recruitment process to become more data-centric since his arrival. Postecoglou and Lange work closely together, with input from chairman Daniel Levy, to make decisions on who to sign.

What is their PSR position?

Tottenham have always had comfortable PSR headroom, which perhaps is why chairman Levy has been such a big supporter of the rules. For years now, Tottenham have sustainably run themselves rather than relying on benefactor injections. Spurs have some of the biggest revenues in the country since the opening of their new stadium, their turnover hitting £549million for the 2022-23 season. Their wage bill was just the sixth-highest in the Premier League that season and they have lost some of their biggest-earning players, including Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris, since then.

Put this all together and it means that Spurs do not necessarily have to sell players just to scrape through the PSR restrictions and could spend a significant chunk of money — if one of their top targets is available.

What is the manager’s priority?

It might seem strange with their defensive troubles but Postecoglou’s priority is to add more quality up front. The hope is that this will help his side break down teams that sit deep.

Spurs have only won two of their eight Premier League fixtures this season where they have had more than 60 per cent possession.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

Ben Davies could be available for Tottenham Hotspur against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday after returning to first-team training.

Davies suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on December 5. It means Ange Postecoglou has had to cope without three centre-backs over the last few weeks with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero struggling with injuries too.

Archie Gray, who prefers to play in midfield or at right-back, has started the last four games in all competitions at centre-back along with Radu Dragusin. Davies’ return will ease the pressure on Gray and Dragusin to start every game during this hectic festive period.

Postecoglou’s side have only won two of their last six Premier League fixtures and since the start of December rank bottom for goals conceded (12), shots faced (85), shots on target faced (37), expected goals against (14) and big chances against (25). Davies’ experience could be crucial in helping them to improve their form but Postecoglou wants to manage his recovery carefully and is unlikely to rush him back for Tottenham’s next fixture against Nottingham Forest on December 26.

“I just can’t risk any more injuries so my gut tells me that’s only two (training) sessions with the team before Boxing Day, so probably wiser to save him for the weekend,” Postecoglou said. “But the plan is to have him training and potentially be available.”

Davies enters the final six months of his contract with Spurs in January but The Athletic has previously reported that the club intend to trigger a one-year option.

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Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur “need to reinforce” their squad in the January transfer window.

Spurs have been hit by an injury crisis with seven players unavailable including first-choice centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero as well as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

It is a situation which forced Postecoglou to name five teenagers and Brandon Austin on the bench for their 5-0 victory over Southampton on December 15. Austin, 25, came through the club’s academy but the back-up goalkeeper has never made a senior appearance for them.

Spurs have won two of their last six Premier League games and since the start of December rank bottom for goals conceded (12), shots faced (85), shots on target faced (37), expected goals against (14) and big chances against (25). Postecoglou was asked about potential transfer plans before their game against Nottingham Forest on December 26.

“We’ve been planning (and) a lot of it was going to be around where we’re at around this time,” he said. “We’re still a little bit short in a couple of areas and we need to reinforce.

“But January’s trickier in terms of what sort of players you can bring in. You want to bring in people who are going to make you stronger. I think the fact that we’re still in the Carabao Cup semi-final, still got (Europa League), FA Cup, we’re in all the competitions, it’s not like our schedule’s going to ease up at any stage. So I think it makes sense. We will try and reinforce where and what number we’ll have to wait and see.”

Spurs were one of the busiest clubs in the last January transfer window as they bought Radu Dragusin from Genoa for £25million, signed Timo Werner on loan and agreed a deal with Swedish side Djurgarden for Lucas Bergvall who officially joined them in July.

Ben Davies is due to return from injury before the end of the year while Van de Ven and Romero could be back at the beginning of January. Postecoglou spoke about the “balancing act” of bringing players in as quickly as possible but making sure they are the right players.

He said: “You don’t just want to panic and bring in anybody that you don’t think will help our cause in the back half of the year, but I think we’ve already shown we are pretty methodical and prudent about our work. We’ll make sure we’ll bring somebody in who is going to help us.”

After Spurs face Forest on Thursday they host Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 29 and start 2025 with a clash against Newcastle United.

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Tottenham Hotspur have seen their appeal against Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game suspension dismissed.

Bentancur was given a seven-game suspension and £100,000 fine by the Football Association (FA) after he said Tottenham team-mate Son Heung-min and his cousins “all look the same” during an interview on television programme Por La Camiseta, which is broadcast in the midfielder’s native Uruguay.

The 27-year-old denied the original FA charge and Spurs appealed against the sanction, which they described as “severe”. Tottenham’s appeal could only have reduced Bentancur’s ban down to six matches.

An independent appeals body confirmed the appeal had been dismissed on Tuesday morning.

In a joint statement with The Frank Soo Foundation, which support East and Southeast Asians in football, anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out said they had received more complaints about the Spurs appeal than the incident itself.

“Many of the reports from the East and Southeast Asian community and beyond told us how angry and disappointed they were with the club’s actions and how it extended the pain for those who were affected by the original incident,” the statement said.

“We know this has been an upsetting episode for many fans and hope the club will now reflect on its decision and how it might seek to engage with the community.

“The number of reports to Kick It Out over recent seasons shows that more education is needed to highlight East and Southeast Asian racism in football, and we would urge clubs to tackle this in the same manner as other forms of discrimination.”

Bentancur has missed Tottenham’s past five Premier League games and will remain unavailable for Sunday’s game against Liverpool and Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. His first match back could be the trip to Nottingham Forest on December 26.

Though he has been suspended domestically, Bentancur has remained eligible to feature in Tottenham’s Europa League fixtures.

This season, Bentancur has made 10 Premier League appearances and five in Europe, including last Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Rangers.

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Most of Tottenham Hotspur’s players jumped straight onto the coach after their 5-0 victory over Southampton on Sunday evening but one individual stayed behind for a little bit longer.

Djed Spence was not alone, though. The 24-year-old defender, who was clutching his muddy shirt, was surrounded by family and friends in the reception of St Mary’s Stadium. The group hugged each other, cracked jokes, smiled and took photos to commemorate a moment that many of them at one stage might have privately feared would never happen.

Two and a half years, or 881 days to be precise, after Spence joined Spurs from Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to £20million ($25m) including add-ons, he finally made his first start for them. Spence spent the 2021-22 season on loan with Nottingham Forest. He was a key member of the squad that won the Championship play-off final and excelled against top-flight opposition on their run to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

The full-back’s performance against Arsenal prompted Gabriel Martinelli to call him the toughest individual opponent he had faced. Spence seemed ready for the Premier League but his subsequent journey has been unconventional, to say the least.

It did not help that then-head coach Antonio Conte called Spence a “club signing” a couple of weeks after he arrived from Middlesbrough. Underwhelming loan spells with Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa suggested his long-term future lay elsewhere but a couple of encouraging displays for Spurs in pre-season, and a notable cameo against Coventry City in the Carabao Cup in August, led to him signing a contract extension until 2028.

Spence was left out of the club’s Europa League squad but played the entire second half of September’s impressive 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Spence’s versatility — he is comfortable on both wings — is a valuable skill. A groin injury disrupted his momentum and then, earlier this month, Ange Postecoglou made comments that threw doubt over his long-term future.

“I think a major turnaround is Djed playing regularly at this level, just because he has hung around doesn’t mean that is a major turnaround,” Postecoglou said before Tottenham’s defeat to Bournemouth. “I still think a lot of that is Djed continuing to train hard and wait for his opportunity.

“Fitness-wise, he is always in good condition. We train pretty hard. Could he start a game? I think he could. Could he start multiple games? Probably not because he hasn’t played for quite a while. He has been in and around the squad. Particularly between now and Christmas opportunities may come up for him.”

And they have. Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies are all unavailable, which has forced Postecoglou to come up with some creative solutions in defence. Archie Gray, who played primarily as a right-back for Leeds in the Championship last season but prefers a central midfield role, has become an emergency centre-back. Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie have been burdened with a heavy workload. Gray’s move into a central area means Spence is the only option to give Porro or Udogie a break.

It took Spence less than 60 seconds to demonstrate why he should have been trusted to perform at this level sooner. The former England Under-21 international received the ball just inside his own half with his back to goal. Spence spun away from Flynn Downes, stayed on his feet despite being pulled back and poked the ball into a gap between Southampton’s centre-backs. James Maddison raced onto the pass and slipped his shot through Alex McCarthy’s legs.

“He has been patient and he’s a great lad,” Maddison told TNT Sports. “Djed is quite a laidback character, so I don’t think he needed too much of a pep talk. I just told him before (the game), ‘Go and do what you do’. I think he got the ball and managed to wriggle away like he does, which he is very good at. And that’s a run that I have been working on for years, you know, that left pocket run in behind the defence. To be fair to Djed, it was a brilliantly weighted pass — perfect. I just had to finish it off. Big credit to Djed for that one.”

There were lots of other moments that suggest Spence should receive more playing time in the future. He looks comfortable moving into midfield and constantly asks to receive the ball. Just before half-time, having switched to left-back because Udogie came off due to tightness in his thigh, Spence showed remarkable composure next to the corner flag. Southampton’s forwards were aggressively chasing him, Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr. They escaped the pressure and initiated a counter-attack that led to Son Heung-min forcing McCarthy into a save.

Spence was being pushed into different positions across the pitch, forging relationships with team-mates he has barely played with while realising a childhood dream. His all-action display is illustrated in The Athletic’s player dashboard below. It helped that Southampton were awful but he did not show any nerves.

He did not need to do a lot of defending against the Premier League’s bottom side but in one situation used his strength to usher the ball out of play and prevent Kyle Walker-Peters from reaching it. This happened right in front of the away supporters who cheered and Spence then whipped his arms up asking for more noise. They want to see him succeed.

“Djed has had to bide his time,” Postecoglou said afterwards. “It’s the one area of the pitch where we’ve had cover this year, with Archie playing at right-back, so he’s had to be patient. It’s a testament to him and the coaches who have worked with him in training that he could come on today. We needed him, not just to play but to make an impact and he did. Great reward for his patience and perseverance.”

Postecoglou said the decision to substitute Udogie was “precautionary” and that “he wanted to continue but we can’t take any risks at the moment”. The Italy international and Spence share a close relationship. They sat next to each other on flights during the pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea and attended a concert together from the Nigerian artist Asake at the O2 Arena.

Depending on how Udogie recovers, Spence might need to ask his friend for advice before Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. It has taken far longer than expected but Spence is finally ready to make his mark for Spurs.

(Top photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Southampton have sacked manager Russell Martin following Sunday’s defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, which left them nine points adrift from safety at the bottom of the Premier League table.

The 38-year-old, who secured Southampton’s promotion to the Premier League last season, will depart after his side won just one of their opening 16 Premier League matches.

Martin’s final game in charge saw supporters at St Mary’s chant for his exit from the stands and also leave in significant numbers in a first-half that included four goals conceded in the first 25 minutes as they were beaten 5-0 by Spurs.

Under-21s manager Simon Rusk has been placed in interim charge.

A Southampton statement read: “We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our men’s first team manager, Russell Martin.

“Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.

“However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months. Everyone connected with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the play-off Final win in May.”

Southampton have taken just five points this term with Sunday’s defeat a 13th of the campaign.

They had secured their maiden top-flight win of the season against Everton on November 2, before losing at Wolverhampton Wanderers before the most recent international break.

Since then there have been further losses at the hands of Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa with Martin’s preferred style of play and frequent defensive errors again coming in for criticism.

Speaking after Sunday’s loss to Tottenham, Martin told TNT Sports: “We have no choice but to work and fight. It’s all I’ll I’ve done since I’ve been in this job and it’s all I’ll continue to do until I’m told otherwise.”

Asked if the booing affected him, Martin replied: “As a person, no. Because I understand it’s not personal. I don’t know them, they don’t know me. As a manager yeah of course it hurts me, it hurts the team, but I also understand it.”

His departure makes him the fourth Premier League manager to lose their job this season following Erik ten Hag’s sacking in October, Steve Cooper’s dismissal by Leicester City in November and Gary O’Neil’s departure from Wolves on Sunday.

Martin was appointed in June 2023 after leading Swansea City to two mid-table finishes in the Championship.

The former defender was tasked with guiding Southampton back to the top-flight and he did so at the first time of asking after defeating Leeds United in the 2024 Championship play-off final.

Before his time with Swansea, Martin managed Milton Keynes Dons, where he earned praise for implementing a possession-based style of play.

GO DEEPER

Russell Martin: Football fundamentalist

‘Martin’s position had become untenable’

Analysis from Dan Sheldon

The writing has been on the wall and it has felt like a matter of when, not if, the board decided to make a change.

With Southampton languishing at the bottom of the table, winning only one of their 16 Premier League matches this season, his position was untenable — especially with other clubs around them making managerial changes.

Martin was always going to stick with his style of play — possession-heavy and passing out from the back — and it is worth remembering that Sport Republic wanted this particular philosophy.

However, Southampton have been gifting teams victories weekly and something had to give. If they want to maintain their top-flight status, which is a tall order from their current predicament, then the only viable option was to sack Martin and hire a different head coach to see if they can extract more from the squad.

Southampton supporters will no doubt always remember the play-off final win at Wembley in May and Martin leading them on a run of 25 games without defeat — setting a club record in the process — last season, but the decision to part company with the former Swansea boss is one that will satisfy the fanbase.

(Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

The battle of the Premier League’s two most tactically stubborn managers had a resounding winner and left the loser looking for a new job.

Much has been made this season of how Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou and Southampton’s Russell Martin are overly wedded to their principles and reluctant to change approach, even when results are going against them.

On Sunday, Postecoglou reaped the rewards of his attacking outlook, while Martin’s failure to opt for pragmatism meant he endured a miserable day, which culminated in him being sacked late on Sunday evening.

Neither side entered this game full of confidence, but Tottenham blew the home team away in a blistering first half in which they scored five times and led 3-0 after just 14 minutes.

James Maddison set the tone inside the first minute, Son Heung-min doubled the lead after 12 minutes, Dejan Kulusevki added a third two minutes later, Pape Matar Sarr scored a fourth and Maddison got his second on the stroke of half-time.

To Southampton’s credit, they did not capitulate in the second half and managed to keep the score to 5-0, but the damage had long since been done and Martin’s fate, as it turned out, was sealed.

Jay Harris and John Stanton analyse the key talking points.

Tottenham’s blistering start the perfect tonic for Postecoglou

Tottenham were in desperate need of a confidence boost, so this trip to face the team at the bottom of the table came at the perfect time.

Southampton will have noticed that Spurs have struggled away from home this season and they have not fared well against sides that look to slow the game down and make it a physical contest. There was never any chance Martin would tweak his tactics, so Southampton were set up perfectly for Tottenham to destroy them.

It all started in the opening 60 seconds when Djed Spence spun away from his marker easily and poked the ball through a huge gap in the defence for Maddison to fire a simple finish past Alex McCarthy. A few minutes later, Maddison’s cross somehow looped over everybody and Son had an easy finish at the far post.

It was comical defending from Southampton and it resembled a training-ground exercise or something you would see on the school playground when the older kids would steal the ball from a younger year group.

Tottenham looked capable of scoring every time they went forward. When Southampton tried to press, they were carved open.

It was a horrible performance from the home side but exactly what Spurs needed after five games without a win and sets them up nicely for Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.

Jay Harris

Southampton’s season sinks to a new low

For Southampton, this was the latest indignity in what is becoming a wretched return to the Premier League.

Martin was already under intense pressure going into this game and this new low point leaves them and his late-night dismissal leaves them managerless and bottom of the Premier League with one win from 16 matches. They are nine points adrift of safety.

At one point shortly after going 3-0 down inside the first 14 minutes, Martin utilised a break in play to gather all his players around him on the touchline and he was frantically dishing out instructions. Whatever he said, it simply did not work and they could not stem the flow.

The home fans had already been singing “Russell Martin, your football is s***” at 2-0 down and the mood only deteriorated as the half went on.

Martin’s response to that early onslaught was to take off attacker Kamaldeen Sulemana after 15 minutes and bring on defender Nathan Wood, but by then, the damage was done. Sarr made it 4-0 10 minutes later.

At that stage, it felt like time to check the record books. No team has ever scored 10 goals in a Premier League game and it seemed entirely possible that could happen.

Southampton do not have to go back too far for humiliations on that kind of scale, having lost 9-0 to Leicester City in October 2019 and 9-0 to Manchester United in February 2021.

But they found a resilience in the second half and, at least, did not find themselves on the end of the kind of hammering experienced by the club in previous top-flight campaigns.

Now, it will be for someone other than Martin to try to rescue their season.

John Stanton

Two and a half years, or 881 days to be exact, after Spence joined Spurs from Nottingham Forest for a fee worth up to £20million ($25m) including add-ons, he finally started a Premier League match.

Spence has endured a strange time in north London and at one stage it felt like he would never recover from then-head coach Antonio Conte’s comments that he was a “club signing”. When he struggled to make an impact on loan with Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa, everybody assumed the defender would leave.

But Spence knuckled down, made an infamous cameo appearance in the Carabao Cup against Coventry City and was rewarded with a new contract, but still had to wait for his chance in the starting XI.

It took him less than 60 seconds to make an impact at St Mary’s. He received the ball just inside Southampton’s half with his back to goal, spun away from his defender and charged forward before setting up Maddison. It was a great piece of skill that will only make more people question why he has not been trusted before to perform at this level.

There were a couple of other moments that showed his quality, including a passing sequence with Maddison and Sarr while under intense pressure in their own box, which led to a counter-attack and a goalscoring opportunity for Son.

On another occasion, he ushered the ball out of play right in front of the Spurs fans, who cheered in response. He then whipped his arms up in the air and urged them to make more noise. They have had to wait a long time to see his potential but clearly want more.

With Destiny Udogie picking up an injury in the first half that forced Spence to move over to the left, expect him to play a lot over the next few weeks.

Jay Harris

Levy the subject of fans’ anger

Postecoglou revealed earlier this week that Cristian Romero apologised for criticising the board over a lack of investment in the squad in the aftermath of Tottenham’s defeat by Chelsea.

The Argentina international’s comments appear to have struck a chord with the fanbase, though. Before Maddison opened the scoring, the away supporters had already started chanting “we want (Daniel) Levy out”.

They briefly paused while celebrating Maddison’s effort and then quickly restarted. Levy, who has been chairman since October 2001, was constantly the source of their frustration and they sang about him all night.

At one stage, they were drowned out by Southampton’s protests about Martin, but that dissipated when Kulusevski made it 3-0. Tottenham fans then started singing, “I don’t care about Levy, he don’t care about me, all I care about is Kulusevski”.

Postecoglou has come under a lot of pressure over the past few weeks, but this was an endorsement for him. The Spurs fans clearly still have faith in his project — there were songs of support for the Australian during this game — and do not want him to become the latest manager to be sacked by Levy.

Spurs announced earlier this year that they were seeking external investment and it is clear from Sunday’s trip to the south coast that the supporters are eager for significant change at the very top of the club.

Jay Harris

What did Postecoglou say?

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Postecoglou said: “Really proud of the players. We obviously had a tough away European fixture on Thursday night. We had 10 first-team players unavailable for a number of reasons today in a squad of 25, and we asked a lot of them to go out there again and dig into their wells of energy.

“A couple we put out there hadn’t played in ages, haven’t started games, so the fact the boys could play with such energy and quality was just outstanding. Really pleased that they get the rewards for it because they deserve it.”

What next for Spurs?

Thursday, December 19: Man Utd (H), Carabao Cup quarter-final, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET

What next for Southampton?

Wednesday, December 18: Liverpool (H), Carabao Cup quarter-final, 8pm GMT, 3pm ET

(Top photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)