Djed Spence reveals he 'didn't really have a relationship' with Antonio Conte at Tottenham as defender addresses poor attitude accusations from Leeds loan spell

During his tenure at Middlesborough, the English fullback showed promise, and in July 2022, with Conte leading the north London team, he earned a €15 million (£12.7m/$16.4m) transfer to Spurs - a move the Italian described as a "club signing". Under the coach, he played in just four league games for a meagre few minutes. Since then, Spence has been moved out on loan three times, and it appears that his time with Spurs may be coming to an end.

Asked to reflect on his period at Tottenham, Spence told The Athletic: "I didn’t have a great time. I went there and I didn’t play, so obviously it was hard for me. When you sign somewhere as a player for a big club, you want to be filled with confidence and welcomed with open arms, as I was, but it just didn’t feel right when I went there. Things didn’t go well as I planned.

"When you don’t get a chance, there’s not much you can do as a player. You get lost, you’re not playing, it’s hard to get a rhythm again. It’s never easy going to a new environment when things don’t go well but it’s part of the game. It’s a learning experience."

When asked specifically about Conte: "I didn’t really have a relationship with him, to be honest. He’s a coach that has his way. I don’t think he has much of a relationship with his players. It’s come into training and train — and that’s pretty much it."

Spence returned to Tottenham last year after an extended loan at Stade Rennais. This season, he was originally on loan at Leeds but saw his stay terminated, amid reports that he displayed a poor attitude at Elland Road, and he subsequently moved to Genoa shortly after.

Quizzed about those accusations, Spence responded: "I don’t necessarily agree with what they said. But in football, this is how it is: you have to keep your head down, keep going and eventually prove people wrong. Some of it is a bit blown out of proportion. You can be late once and if you’re not playing, it’s a problem, and if you are playing, then it’s not a problem."

Spence has become a part of Gilardino's plans at Genoa and will likely be a part of the lineup, at least as a substitute when they take on relegation battlers Monza on Saturday, March 9. Whether he has a future at Spurs beyond this summer remains to be seen.