“He’s CHEAP but indeed SPECIAL”: Tottenham now making a rapid move to sign Djed Spence upgrade who’s rated to be £17m
Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season performances suggest that the unity is intact and Ange Postecoglou’s vision is being further reinforced ahead of his second season at the helm.
The craggy-faced Australian has recently admitted that signing a centre-forward is Spurs’ “focus”, with Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke being considered for transfer.
However, work is needed elsewhere, and with Emerson Royal mooted for a transfer to AC Milan, the north Londoners appear to be interested in a new right-back.
Spurs transfer news
As per Firenze Viola earlier this week, Tottenham have identified Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode as the perfect Emerson replacement, with the 20-year-old also attracting interest from Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
La Viola’s €30m (£25m) demands might be a little steep given the right-back has just completed his first season in Serie A, but if a more agreeable fee can be found, Spurs may well advance to complete an exciting deal.
Djed Spence upgrade
He might be viewed as Emerson’s replacement in the Lilywhites first team, but Kayode could also prove to be a big upgrade on Djed Spence, whose time at Tottenham has not gone according to plan.
Spurs signed Spence from Middlesbrough for £20m in 2022 after his electric displays in the Championship, having been hailed as the “standout player” in Nottingham Forest’s side while on loan in 2021/22.
WHAT A GOAL!! 🤯💥
Djed Spence with a STUNNING goal for Nott'm Forest against QPR! 👏pic.twitter.com/8f9p9qjuSS
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) March 16, 2022
Now one week away from his 24th birthday, Spence has completed only six senior fixtures for the London side, enduring a string of frustrating loan spells – the last of which was with Genoa in Serie A across the second half of last season.
Now one week away from his 24th birthday, Spence has completed only six senior fixtures for the London side, enduring a string of frustrating loan spells – the last of which was with Genoa in Serie A across the second half of last season.
Failing to really make a mark in Italy, Spence did feature regularly but left plenty to be desired, and given that comparison can be drawn from Kayode’s own performances in the division, it can be seen that Spurs might be wise to cut their losses and sign an exciting upgrade.
As you can see from the table above, Kayode wiped the floor with his positional peer in the Italian top flight last season, proving to be the more rounded and robust player, also picking with greater regularity.
Moreover, Kayode ranks among the top 12% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles made per 90 as per FBref, backing up praise from analyst Ben Mattinson that he is something of a “duel monster”.
Kayode’s debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/tDgLCV3R4v
— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) August 21, 2023
Since Kayode has only taken his first steps into senior football, there is an element of risk involved in launching a high-cost bid for his services, but he’s positively outshone Spence and would surely be an improvement on both him and Emerson, who has been said to be “not really suited for Ange-ball” by writer Simon Yemane.
Praised for one “extraordinary performance” by Fiorentina chairman Daniel Spade, his physique, power and blooming defensive steel would make for an interesting tool to add depth to the defensive right flank, serving as a foil to Pedro Porro’s dynamic skillset.
Daniel Levy needs to get this one done and ensure that Tottenham rise to another level this year.
