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Djed Spence returns to Tottenham Hotspur from Leeds United loan spell

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 04 January 2024

Djed Spence returns to Tottenham from Leeds loan spell

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence returns to North London following a brief loan spell at Leeds United, where he made seven appearances.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced the return of right-back Djed Spence from his loan spell at Leeds United.

Having struggled to play his way into Antonio Conte's good books after arriving from Middlesbrough in 2022, Spence dropped back down to the Championship for the 2023-24 campaign.

The 23-year-old's start to life at Elland Road was hampered by a serious ligament injury, though, and he missed two months of action before returning to Daniel Farke's squad towards the end of November.

Since making a full recovery, Spence forced his way into the Whites' starting XI, featuring from the first whistle in five successive Championship matches, four of which saw him play as a left-back.

However, Leeds won just one of their five fixtures in which the England Under-21 international began the contest, and he failed to complete the full 90 on any occasion, only lasting an hour in a 1-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion on December 29.

Spence was demoted back down to the bench for Leeds' New Year's Day clash with Birmingham City, where Archie Gray and Sam Byram instead lined up as the full-backs, and Farke's rotation paid off in a 3-0 triumph.

Djed Spence in action for Tottenham Hotspur in July 2022 © Reuters

Following a disrupted stint at Elland Road, Spence has departed Leeds to make his return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a decision which is believed to have been made by the Whites rather than Tottenham recalling him.

The former Boro man earned a £12.7m move to Tottenham in the summer of 2022 after a successful loan spell with Nottingham Forest, helping the Tricky Trees achieve promotion to the Premier League, and Spurs beat out competition from Arsenal for his signature.

Spence's debut half-season season in North London was a forgettable affair, though, as he totalled just 41 minutes across six substitute appearances before being shipped out to Rennes for the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.

While in France, the 23-year-old made 10 appearances for Les Rouges et Noir before his season was cut short by a knee injury, and another loan exit could be on the cards this month, as Emerson Royal and Pedro Porro are above him in the right-back pecking order.

Spence has become the second Tottenham full-back to see their loan spell cut short on Thursday, as Sergio Reguilon has also returned to Hotspur Way from his brief stint at Manchester United.

The Englishman remains under contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.