# Djed Spence

Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence (born 9 August 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Mainly a right-back, he has also been deployed as a left-back.

## Early life

Spence is the younger brother of actress Karla-Simone Spence. He was born in England to a Jamaican father and Kenyan mother.

## Club career
### Middlesbrough

Spence signed for Middlesbrough on 1 July 2018, having previously been with Fulham's academy. He made his debut for Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup on 14 August 2018, appearing as a substitute versus Notts County at the Riverside Stadium. Spence made his league debut for Middlesbrough in a 1–0 win over Charlton Athletic on 7 December 2019, scoring his first league goal in a 1–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 26 December 2019.
On 11 January 2020 Spence won EFL Young Player of the Month, following his league debut, first goal and three clean sheets.

#### Nottingham Forest (loan)

On 1 September 2021, it was announced Spence would join Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the season. He scored his first goal for Forest in a 3–0 win over Birmingham City on 2 October. Spence impressed in FA Cup victories over Premier League clubs Arsenal and Leicester City, scoring the fourth in a 4–1 victory over the latter.
Spence was awarded the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for March 2022 as well as being nominated for the Goal of the Month award following his long range strike against Queens Park Rangers which he was ultimately awarded. Having also been nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Season, Spence made it a hat-trick of awards for March 2022 when he won the EFL Young Player of the Month award for the second time in his career, becoming the first player to win it twice in the process.
Spence played a vital role in Nottingham Forest's promotion winning side, and was featured in both the EFL Championship Team of the Season and the PFA Championship team of the season.

### Tottenham Hotspur

On 19 July 2022, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Spence on a five-year contract, for a reported fee of £20 million. He made his Tottenham debut on 29 August, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 win against former club Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

#### Loan to Rennes

On 31 January 2023, Spence joined French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais on a loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. He made ten appearances for Rennes, including nine starts, one of which was a 2–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, the Parisian team's first league defeat at home in 23 months.

#### Loan to Leeds United

On 30 August 2023, EFL Championship club Leeds United announced the signing of Spence on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur. He made his debut for the club in a Championship fixture against Sheffield Wednesday on 2 September, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 draw.
On 18 September 2023, Spence suffered a knee ligament injury in training that would see him out of action for until December. He made his comeback from injury on 9 December, playing 20 minutes against Blackburn Rovers and went on to start Leeds' next five Championship fixtures.
On 4 January 2024, Leeds triggered a break clause to terminate Spence's loan spell, seeing him return to Tottenham Hotspur.

#### Loan to Genoa

On 11 January 2024, Spence signed for Serie A club Genoa on a loan deal until the end of the season. He made 16 Serie A appearances for the Rossoblù in the second half of the season. However, the club was unable to meet the option to buy fee of £8.5m at the end of his loan spell and he returned to Tottenham Hotspur.

#### Return to Tottenham Hotspur

On 19 August 2024, Spence made his first appearance for Tottenham since January 2023 in their opening fixture of the 2024–25 season, replacing Pedro Porro as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Leicester City in the Premier League. He scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 2–1 EFL Cup win over Coventry City on 17 September. Following long-term injuries to defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Destiny Udogie, Djed Spence received an extended run in the Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup from December 2024 to February 2025. Spence was named Player of the Match for his performance in Tottenham’s 1–0 win over Manchester United on 16 February 2025.
On 22 February 2025, Spence scored his first Premier League goal in a 4–1 win over Ipswich Town.

## International career

In March 2022, Spence earned a first international call up to the England Under-21 squad for the European Championship Qualifying matches against Andorra and Albania. He made his debut as a substitute during a 3–0 victory away to the latter on 29 March 2022.

## Style of play

Spence primarily plays as a right-back, and is known for his pace and dribbling ability. He has been praised by Ian Wright, who described him as "combative, technical, swashbuckling", and Wes Morgan, who compared him to a Rolls-Royce.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 16 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Fulham U23 | 2017–18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Middlesbrough | 2018–19 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Middlesbrough | 2019–20 | Championship | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | 2020–21 | Championship | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 40 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough | 2021–22 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Middlesbrough | Total | Total | 63 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 70 | 2 |
| Middlesbrough U23 | 2018–19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2021–22 | Championship | 39 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 46 | 3 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2022–23 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2023–24 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2024–25 | Premier League | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 2 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Total | Total | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 |
| Rennes (loan) | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 |
| Leeds United (loan) | 2023–24 | Championship | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| Genoa (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 153 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 183 | 7 |
* ↑ Includes FA Cup
* ↑ Includes EFL Cup
* 1 2 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
* ↑ Appearances in EFL Championship play-offs
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League

## Honours

Nottingham Forest
* EFL Championship play-offs: 2022
Individual
* EFL Young Player of the Month: December 2019, March 2022
* EFL Championship Player of the Month: March 2022
* EFL Championship Goal of the Month: March 2022
* EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2021–22
* PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 Championship