Middlesbrough’s Championship starlet Djed Spence reportedly caught the eye of Tottenham Hotspur but will Jose Mourinho get his man?
Djed Spence has admitted that he is proud to be linked with a January move to Tottenham Hotspur after catching the eye in a recent FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough, while speaking to the Teesside Gazette.
With funds tight and injuries rife at the Riverside, Boro boss Jonathan Woodgate has been forced to put his trust in a number of unproven youngsters. And, alongside Ainsley Pears, Dael Fry, Haden Coulson and co, Spence has helped spark a dramatic and unexpected turnaround in fortunes for one of the Championship’s form sides.
The London-born 19-year-old has been a revelation since forcing his way into the starting XI, impressing against Tottenham in a 1-1 FA Cup third round draw in the North East after winning the EFL Young Player of the Month award for December.
According to the Standard, Tottenham have now identified Spence as a potential future signing with manager Jose Mourinho keeping an eye on the teenager since his release by Fulham in the summer of 2018.
“Of course it is flattering to read that stuff (speculation),” Spence, who played alongside Mourinho’s son at Craven Cottage, has admitted. “It is a good feeling.
“But I just need to stay focused. I want to play well and stay focused and not let all that get to me. I’m just a young footballer and I need to keep doing what I have been doing.”
Clearly, Spence is not a player overawed by the big occasion. A week after shining against Heung-Min Son, Christian Eriksen and co at the Riverside, he left Wayne Rooney reeling with a brilliant recovery challenge on the former England captain during Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Derby County.
And with Kyle Walker-Peters expected to bid farewell to Spurs before the end of the month, a place could be about to open up in Mourinho’s defence for one of English football’s rising stars.
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