Premier League duo Southampton and Leicester City both made late-window enquiries for Middlesbrough right-back Djed Spence, as reported by the Northern Echo.
Is the London-born wideman still a Boro player? Well, we don’t know. Nor does anyone else, it seems.
Championship rivals Nottingham Forest were in advanced talks to sign Spence late last night.
But it is now 12 hours since the window slammed shut and we still have no idea about where the 21-year-old will be playing his football in 2021/22.
As the Echo point out, there has been ‘no conformation’ about whether Forest managed to get a deal over the line before the clock struck 11pm.
Who will Djed Spence play for this season?
It is understood that Southampton and Leicester both made attempts to sign Spence last night too, although it is not certain whether the top-flight duo wanted the former Fulham youngster on loan or on a permanent deal.
And things were supposed to become clearer once the window closed…
Either way, despite interest from at least two Premier League clubs, it is difficult to shake the feeling that Spence has plateaued somewhat since bursting onto the scene last season.
It seems a long time ago now that the attack-minded right-back was being linked with a big-money move to Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur.
“If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now – the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Crystal Palace (Aaron Wan-Bissaka) – they are all the same type as Djed,” Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock told the Northern Echo last year.
“He does have enormous ability, and when you’ve got ability like that it’s criminal if you don’t get to the very top. But as I said to him in that first couple of weeks, he’ll only have himself to blame if he doesn’t get to the very top.
“He has quite a few things to brush up on at the minute, and I’m sure he will try. He’s a very good trainer and works hard.
“With Djed, I think it’s more of a mental issue he’ll have to have in the next couple of years. To get to the top level, you have to be really mentally strong.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
