Ange must finally sell £20m Spurs flop who Conte didn’t want to sign

Football

Antonio Conte was manager at Tottenham Hotspur for around 16 months, but it did not quite go how people may have hoped. The Lilywhites first appointed the experienced Italian coach in November 2021, but he left in March of 2023 by mutual consent.

He had a respectable record as manager of the club, despite never really challenging for any trophies. He coached Spurs for 76 games, winning 41 times and losing 23.

In the domestic cups, he failed to get the North Londoners to any finals, reaching the Carabao Cup semi-final in his first season and the FA Cup fifth round in both campaigns.

antonio-conte-transfer-gossip-tottenham-hotspur-romelu-lukaku-inter-milan-postecoglou

The second season was particularly disappointing, given the money Conte had to spend in the summer of 2022.

Spurs’ 2022 summer transfer window

The Lilywhites’ summer transfer window in 2022 was certainly a season in which they were well-backed. They made eight signings, although one of those was a loan deal which saw Clement Lenglet join the club from Barcelona. Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster also joined on free transfers.

There were five other major signings made that summer, although one of those, Destiny Udogie, spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Udinese, from where he joined Spurs. Another player also moved from Serie A. Cristian Romero joined the Lilywhites on a permanent deal for £42.5m, after joining the club on loan the previous season.

Cristian-Romero-Spurs-Tottenham

There were also two deals made for players within the Premier League. One of those saw Everton striker Richarlison make the move from Merseyside to North London.

He cost the club £60m, although he has struggled to make a real impact so far. He did score twice against the Toffees in February 2024 in a 2-2 draw.

Yves Bissouma also joined Spurs in 2022, signing from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £25m up front and a further £10m in add-ons. He is still an important player in Ange Postecoglou’s side today.

The eighth signing made under Conte that summer has not really worked out for either party, although he does still play for the club. That player is Djed Spence.

Djed Spence’s Spurs career

After an incredibly successful 2021/22 campaign on loan with Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough, Spurs took a punt on Spence ahead of Conte’s first full season in charge. He cost £12.5m up front and a further £7.5m in add-ons from Boro.

djed-spence-spurs

The right-back was fantastic in Forest’s promotion success in 2021/22. He was an influential member of Steve Cooper’s squad, playing 39 times in the Championship, scoring twice and grabbing five assists.

He also played every minute in the play-offs as Forest beat Sheffield United in the semi-final and Huddersfield in the final.

Spence’s Lilywhites career has been incredibly tough so far. He has played just 11 games for the club across two seasons, having gone on loan in the 2023/24 campaign to Leeds United for the first half of the season and Italian outfit Genoa for the second half.

Spence stats for Spurs

Season

Competition

Games

Minutes

2022/23

Premier League

4

5

2022/23

Carabao Cup

1

25

2022/23

FA Cup

1

13

2024/25

Premier League

4

64

2024/25

Carabao Cup

1

45

Stats from Transfermarkt

Just weeks after the former England under-21 international made the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Conte revealed it was not a signing he wanted to make. The Italian manager said the “club decided to buy him”, but explained that he hoped he would “become a good, important player” for the club. Sadly, it has not quite worked out like that for the wing-back.

It remains to be seen where Spence’s future lies. Postecoglou may well decide to keep the wing-back at the club, but at this stage it does not seem like he is in his plans.

Tottenham player Djed Spence

Once touted as “Premier League quality” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he will surely be desperate to get his career back on track, be it at Spurs or a different club.

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