Various outlets in France have heaped praise on Tottenham Hotspur’s Djed Spence, after the young wing-back impressed on his debut for Stade Rennais, where he is spending the rest of the season on loan.
Tottenham signed Spence in the summer for a reported fee of £20 million (Sky Sports) and many hoped the youngster could solve the right wing-back area for Antonio Conte’s side.
That wasn’t to be though, and the player struggled for game time in the first half of the season.
The 22-year-old made just six appearances for Spurs this term, amassing just 41 minutes on the field in that time (Transfermarkt).
Since joining Stade Rennais in January (Football.London), Spence has more than doubled his playing time in just one game, putting in a strong performance over 84 minutes for the French side.
His new team may have lost 3-1 on Saturday, but Spence very nearly provided an assist and went close to grabbing a debut goal against Lille, too. It’s a display which has earned him lots of kind words from the French media.
Football Club gave Spence a rating of seven out of ten and praised the way the Englishman “showed all his qualities as a counter-attacker.”
The publication described Spence as “powerful” and “interesting offensively,” and even claimed he was Rennes’ best player on the night.
Stade Rennais Online were less generous, giving Spence a rating of 5.5, but that mark still makes him the second best player in the Rennes team from the game.
The outlet was particularly happy with Spence’s dribbling and physical attributes, but were dubious about his defensive attributes.
Spence was also the second highest-rated team by Made In Foot, who gave the wonderkid a rating of six out of ten, with only the Rennes goalscorer Amine Gouiri achieving a better score.
Spurs Web Opinion
It’s brilliant to see Djed Spence off to such a good start over in France, and if he carries on this way, he will have a great case for being a big part of Conte’s side next season.
His attacking skills were clear to see on Saturday, and if he can just work on his defensive side of things over the next few months, it will be a very successful loan move.
