Tottenham outcast Djed Spence could be replaced in north London by the very player who kept him out of the team on loan at Leeds United. Spurs are reportedly tracking teenage sensation Archie Gray after offloading Spence to Genoa for the rest of the season.
Supposed attitude problems saw Leeds cut Spence’s loan move short, and he returned to Spurs after making only seven appearances in the Championship. The 23-year-old was widely expected to get his career back on track in the second tier, having excelled for Nottingham Forest the season before last.
Gray managed to keep Spence out of the side by making the right-back spot his own, despite being only 17 years old and a midfielder by trade.
According to The Daily Mail, Spurs are among the sides to have sat up and taken notice of the youngster while Spence has been shipped off to Genoa on loan with a cut-price £8.6million buy option. Liverpool, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund are also believed to be keeping track of Leeds’ 2006-born talent.
Whether Tottenham would look to use Gray as a right-back remains to be seen. Ange Postecoglou already has plenty of cover in that department with Pedro Porro and Emerson Royal battling it out for minutes.
The Spurs boss is thought to be keen on signing a new midfielder this January, particularly if Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg moves on, and central midfield is Gray’s preferred position, even if he has seen plenty of action at full-back this campaign.
“I can see it’s not his position but he’s done a job for the team and to do that out of position is something special, especially at his age. It’s no surprise to see him linked with other clubs.”
Tottenham have already completed two transfer deals this month, with Timo Werner signing from RB Leipzig on an initial loan and Radu Dragusin arriving from Genoa on a permanent deal, which paved the way for Spence to head in the other direction.
