The irony certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Mere moments after being brought off the bench during Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal 2-0 EFL Cup defeat at the City Ground, former Nottingham Forest loanee Djed Spence picked up possession, breezed past a couple of tackles and drove Spurs up the pitch with a trademark burst of acceleration.
In a matter of minutes, Spence, some pointed out, provided more of an attacking influence than Emerson Royal had throughout the entire campaign. The £20 million signing from Middlesbrough also came closer than anyone else in a Tottenham shirt to pulling a goal back on the banks of the Trent; forcing Wayne Hennessey into save with a thumping header.
Three days later, there he was back on the bench again; watching on helplessly as Emerson stumbled through another Premier League outing with all the grace of a new-born foal in moon boots.
Even when Emerson was hauled off – to the audible delight of many home supporters during that topsy-turvy 4-3 victory over Leeds United – Antonio Conte introduced Matt Doherty in his place. Four months on from his big-money arrival, you can still count Spence’s tally of Premier League minutes on one hand.
And with 90Min claiming that Spurs watched USA international Joe Scally during Borussia Monchengladbach’s thumping Bundesliga win over Dortmund on Friday, things could still get worse before they get better as far as Spence is concerned.
Tottenham eye Joe Scally as Djed Spence struggles for minutes
Scally, the report says, is a player who has impressed the Tottenham chiefs in recent months.
Tellingly, the 19-year-old American also possesses most of the attributes that made Spence such a favourite during his loan spell at the City Ground; the blistering speed, the ability to turn defence into attack in an instant, and that formidable running power. Scally can play at left-back too.
“(He is) fantastic,” former ‘Gladbach director Max Eberl told Sport1 last year; Scally scoring his first senior goal at the age of just 18. “He’s really been the winner of the season for us so far. He has adjusted a bit to Germany and now has played unbelievably well.”
“(Scally is) so technically sound in both defensive and offensive areas. He has such a stable foundation to improve on,” adds American expert Jake Landau.
“Joe Scally could be our best fullback in two years’ time. And that’s considering (Milan’s Barcelona loanee Sergino) Dest and Jedi (Fulham’s Antonee Robinson).”
Scally is taking his game to a whole new level this season too. Expect him to feature during the Qatar World Cup; the USMNT taking on England, Iran and Wales in the group-stages.
A difficult debut season
Perhaps Tottenham see Scally as a replacement, not for Spence, but for the increasingly-maligned Emerson. Or perhaps eternal back-up Matt Doherty. For now, we can only hypothesise.
What cannot be argued, however, is that Spurs interest in one of the game’s most exciting young right-backs feels like another obstacle to Spence’s hopes of a first-team spot under Conte.
“We are happy with Djed,” Spurs assistant Cristian Stellini tells Football London. “Really happy because he works hard, but he needs time and we need to take the right decision for him.
“Sometimes, with young players, you have to be careful. If you hurry to use this type of player you, can create a problem for them. So when (it is) the right time, Djed Spence will play.”
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