Roberto de Zerbi’s Ambitious Vision for Tottenham: Djed Spence's Future
Roberto de Zerbi is ripping up the script at Tottenham – and he wants Djed Spence to be part of the new version.
The Italian has spent the summer acting, in his own words, “like a shark” in the transfer market as Spurs try to drag themselves away from the relegation fight that nearly swallowed them on the final day of last season. A club-record outlay of £237m says they are serious. The squad list says no one is safe. Yet amid the churn, De Zerbi is fighting to keep one of the club’s more uncertain figures.
De Zerbi’s message to Spence: stay and fight
Spence, 25, has been hovering on the edge of the exit door, linked with Inter Milan and Everton despite signing a long-term contract only last year. He started 23 of his 30 Premier League games in a grim campaign that ended with Spurs 17th for the second year running.
Now, with competition fiercer than ever, his future is again under the microscope. De Zerbi, though, has made his stance clear.
“I repeat what I said to Djed, and to Lucas [Bergvall],” he explained, referring back to comments about the highly coveted Sweden midfielder. “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.”
No sugar-coating. No promises. Stay, but only if you’re all in.
Spence’s problem is obvious. Pedro Porro is in his way. Not just any rival, either. De Zerbi has gone as far as calling the Spain international the “best in the world” in that right-back role. It is a compliment that underlines both Porro’s status and the scale of the challenge facing Spence if he chooses to remain in north London.
A squad turned upside down
The context to all of this is a club undergoing radical surgery.
Tottenham have already smashed their transfer record twice in two days this month. First came Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m, then Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £100m. Jan Paul van Hecke has arrived from Brighton for £52m. On top of that, three seasoned campaigners – Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka – have joined on free transfers.
This is not tinkering. This is a rebuild on fast-forward.
De Zerbi reckons the job is only just past halfway.
“The transfer market is not finished for sure, but we have completed 60% of our project,” he said in Sydney. “Now we have another ‘bomba’.”
He would not name names, but the outline is clear. Spurs are deep in talks for Manchester City’s Brazilian forward Savinho and are chasing another attacking signing as well. When asked if that meant a winger or a striker, his answer was blunt.
“Attackers. 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.”
He wants edge. He wants risk. He wants goals.
Romero, Vicario and the cost of change
With this kind of upheaval, big names are bound to fall.
Captain Cristian Romero is among those expected to go. His situation has been simmering since the end of last season, when he chose to fly back to Argentina while injured before the final game – a match he ultimately did return for. The decision drew heavy criticism, but De Zerbi refused to turn on his defender.
He insisted Romero had shown “unbelievable behaviour” during his tenure, while also accepting that the World Cup winner’s mind appears made up. “It was his will” to leave, the manager admitted.
The same applies to Guglielmo Vicario. The Italian goalkeeper, once a mainstay, has lost his place to Antonin Kinsky and is also expected to depart. Another symbol of how quickly the ground is shifting at Spurs.
De Zerbi has been brutally honest with his players from the moment he walked through the door in April.
“At the beginning of my time in April I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings. And the players told me if they are (staying) here (or not),” he said. “I said: ‘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.’”
It was a stark bargain, but it kept Tottenham in the division. Now comes the payback – exits for those who want them, and a clear line for those who stay.
A shark in the market, a choice for Spence
De Zerbi’s self-portrait as a “shark” this summer fits the mood. He has circled his targets, moved aggressively and, more often than not, got what he wanted. Spurs have gone from tentative spenders to one of the most aggressive operators in Europe in a matter of weeks.
The project is loud, expensive and ruthless. It is also unforgiving.
That is the reality facing Djed Spence. Stay, and he must wrestle with a manager who calls Pedro Porro the best in the world in his position. Leave, and he walks away from a club being rebuilt around ambition and risk.
Tottenham have chosen their direction. The only question now is which players are brave enough to go with them.
