Djed Spence is reportedly open to leaving Tottenham and his impressive performances in the World Cup could convice a few teams to try and sign him.
It’s not often a full-back with zero goals or assists for a team that just avoided relegation starts the following season with more value.
That’s because Thomas Tuchel’s decision to include Spence in the World Cup payed off massively. The versatile full-back put in great performances in North America and now could have a few suitors to choose from should he leave Spurs.
What could be Djed Spence’s next club?
Dream: Liverpool
Leaving a Tottenham side that finished 17th in back-to-back campaigns and going to a Liverpool team whose poor season meant a top-5 finish would indeed be a dream to Djed Spence.
There have been rumours linking the Reds to the Spurs full-back, but recent reports indicate they are not working on a deal to sign him. Maybe they should, though.
Liverpool are in shortage of left-backs despite allowing club legend Andy Robertson to sign for Tottenham themselves as a free agent. Milos Kerkez could benefit from reuniting with Andoni Iraola and Kostas Tsimikas is still in the squad. Still, Spence would add much-needed quality down the left.
On the right, however, it’s a different situation. The Reds have struggled to find a consistent starter, with Arne Slot testing Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and even Wataru Endo there.
Spence’s versatility would allow him to be a solid option on both sides, possibly solving multiple issues at once.
Realistic: Chelsea
Chelsea are, in many ways, the opposite of Liverpool. Full of options on the right, but not many on the left.
Reece James and Malo Gusto are a solid starter-reserve duo, but Jorrel Hato doesn’t cover all the needs. The Dutchman falls in a sort of limbo, not being physical enough to play as a Premier League centre-back (as of right now, at least) but not technical/skillful enough to be a full-back.
As it would at Liverpool – and any other club for that matter -, Spence’s versatility could come in handy. And also provide them with a different profile of full-back: combative, but skillful enough to be able to hold the width rather than tuck inside.
Considering Xabi Alonso might pair Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer in a double-ten look, having a full-back playing out wide could complement the creative pair very well.
Wildcard: Borussia Dortmund
Niko Kovac’s pragmatic style turns seemingly every Borussia Dortmund game into a desperate, tiring battle. They are either holding on tight to a lead or chasing an equaliser/winner.
This was the exact scenario in which Spence excelled at the World Cup. England played far below expectations given their quality but with the whole team rallying together to sacrifice on either end of the pitch to get the result.
It’s also not as much of a wildcard as the name of this section suggests. Dortmund have turned to english football looking for talent quite a bit in the last few years and Spence’s career so far has been somewhat of a journeyman’s.
He has played in the top two tiers of his native land in addition to having had loan stints in Italy with Genoa and France with Rennes.
BvB are also in desperate need of a left-back, which is where Spence showed his best football in the World Cup. They have mainly used youngster Almugera Kabar and attacking midfielder Maximilian Beier in the left-wing-back position in pre-season. Sweden international Daniel Svensson hasn’t impressed since joining in early 2025.
Squawka Suggests: Bournemouth
It’s the least glamorous move for Spence, but perhaps the one that makes the most sense. And he would have European football to make up for it.
Bournemouth are dangerously short in both sides of the full-back spot. 35-year-old Adam Smith is once again having to play a much larger role than he should at this point in this career. All because the Cherries haven’t been able to replace him.
They might have waited too long to take a chance on Max Aarons and he hasn’t developed as many expected during his time at Norwich City. Both Aarons and Julian Araujo spent last season on loan in Scotland, for Rangers and Celtic respectively.
Adrien Truffert made the left-back position his own after arriving from Rennes, but had little competition. Julio Soler has been getting minutes in the pre-season but is still rather raw.
Considering what Spence showed in the World Cup, there would be space for him on both sides.