Djed Spence's Future at Tottenham Amid Rebuild
Roberto de Zerbi has spent the summer ripping Tottenham apart and stitching them back together again. One thing he does not want to lose in the process is Djed Spence.
The Italian has made it clear: he wants to convince the England defender that his future lies in north London, not Milan or Merseyside.
Spence, 25, signed a long-term deal only last year but now finds himself at a crossroads. Inter Milan and Everton have been circling, sensing opportunity in the uncertainty. De Zerbi, though, sees a player he believes can still be central to the rebuild, even in a squad reshaped by a record-breaking spend.
Tottenham have already thrown £237m at the problem after surviving on the final day of last season, finishing 17th for the second year running. This is not a gentle refresh. It is a full-scale reset.
Amid that upheaval, De Zerbi has kept his message to Spence — and to Lucas Bergvall before him — brutally simple.
“I would like you to stay if you want to stay. If you don't want to stay, if you want to leave, then you have to leave,” he said.
No sugar-coating. No promises. Help build what comes next, or step aside.
Spence started 23 of his 30 Premier League games last season, one of the few constants in a side clinging to safety. Now he looks up and sees a World Cup winner in his way. Pedro Porro has nailed down the right-back spot, and De Zerbi has gone as far as calling the Spaniard the best in the world in that role.
That is the level Spurs are now demanding. That is the bar Spence must clear if he stays.
Romero and Vicario heading for the exit
While De Zerbi fights to keep Spence, other pillars of the dressing room are preparing to walk out.
Club captain Cristian Romero is among those expected to leave. His relationship with the fanbase frayed when he flew back to Argentina while injured before the final game of the season, only to return in time to play. The optics were ugly, the criticism loud.
De Zerbi pushed back on that narrative, insisting Romero has shown “unbelievable behaviour” during his time in charge. Yet he did not hide from the reality: it is “his will” to go.
At the start of his reign in April, the Italian sat down with everyone. One by one. A “million individual meetings”, as he put it, to establish who was in and who was out.
His message then was as cold as it was compelling.
“Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave. If you don't help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me.”
They did stay up. Some will now cash in that promise.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is another expected departure, having lost his place to Antonin Kinsky. A year ago Vicario looked like a long-term solution. Under De Zerbi, nothing is guaranteed.
A £237m rebuild – and more to come
Tottenham’s transfer business has been relentless. Earlier this month they broke their transfer record on back-to-back days.
First came Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m. Then Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £100m, a statement signing in the heart of midfield.
Jan Paul van Hecke followed from Brighton in a £52m deal, bolstering a defence that has creaked for two seasons. Experience has arrived for free as well: Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka, all seasoned operators, all part of the new spine.
De Zerbi, speaking in Sydney, reckons around “60%” of the project is complete. That is a remarkable admission when you consider the scale of what has already been done.
And he is not done.
“We have another ‘bomba’,” he teased, eyes fixed firmly on the attack.
Pressed on whether that meant a winger or a striker, he cut through the labels.
“Attackers.”
No Plan B. No safety net.
“I don't love working with plan A, plan B, plan C. It is plan A, full stop, because all players are not the same. We have to increase the number of goals.”
Savinho of Manchester City is one of the forwards in advanced talks, a key name in their pursuit of more firepower. Another attacking target, still unnamed, is also on the table.
De Zerbi described himself as a “shark” in this window, circling, waiting, then striking when the moment is right. The metaphor fits. This is a manager who has already devoured the old Tottenham and is intent on building something leaner, sharper, more ruthless.
The question now is who chooses to swim with him.
Spence stands at the centre of that decision. Stay and fight for a place behind a manager who publicly backs him, against a right-back the coach calls the best in the world? Or walk into a new project elsewhere, leaving behind a club that finally looks ready to live with its own ambition?
For Tottenham, the money is spent, the promises have been made, and the “bomba” is still to land. The next move belongs to the players who must decide whether they want to be part of what comes next — or watch it explode from a distance.
