Arsenal have been keeping tabs on Middlesbrough’s 21-year-old midfielder Djed Spence and according to Football London journalist Alasdair Gold, Tottenham are likely to rival their North London opponents.
The midfielder has been playing on loan at Nottingham Forest and he’s been a key player in helping Forest secure promotion to the Premier League. Forest want to keep Spence at the City Ground and they are even willing to break the bank for it but interest from the PL big-guns might push them down the pecking order.
Djed Spence is primarily a right-sided midfielder but this season, he mostly played as a wing-back for Forest and that has been one of the main reasons why the 21-year-old has been so influential. He’s played in 45 Championship games, scoring two and assisting four goals.
Nottingham Forest are reportedly planning on paying a club-record fee for Djed Spence according to @90min_Football. #NFFC pic.twitter.com/bUVkXmq0y7
— Callum Castel-Nuovo (@callumcasteln) May 30, 2022
Which of the two North London sides needs him more?
Spurs have sorted out the left wing-back role by agreeing on a deal for Ivan Perisic and now Antonio Conte wants to bring in a right wing-back.
Djed Spence has been massively influential for Forest but those performances won’t guarantee him regular starts at Spurs. Sessegnon had a similar breakout season with his previous club but he’s failed to make an impact since joining the Lilywhites.
At Arsenal, he will face a similar problem because Tomiyasu is the first-choice right-back and Arteta also has Cedric Soares as a backup. Also, Arsenal play with a 4-2-3-1 formation so we don’t know if Spence can be effective in this system(at the Premier League level).
Both the North London sides won’t be able to offer his regular playing time next season and we think they are just making a move to Djed Spence in the hopes that he will mature and come good in a couple of years’ time.
Will Djed Spence reject both Arsenal and Spurs?
Djed Spence has admitted that he will love to remain at Nottingham Forest and if he wants regular game time then the midfielder will most certainly snub the two PL giants.
When asked about his Forest future, he said: “I would love to stay, but it’s not in my hands. We’ll see what the future holds.”
Both Arsenal and Spurs will be signing new midfielders this season so there’s no way Spence will be able to break into the first XI next campaign which is why he’s much better off remaining at the City ground and keep sharpening his skills.
Also, Forest will be playing amongst the big boys within the next few months so there’s no need for the youngster to join a team like Arsenal or Tottenham and then get lost amidst all the glamour and competition.
