Tottenham’s Djed Spence on his England call-up: ‘I have a mental note of people who doubted me’ | OneFootball

Djed Spence doesn’t write down the names of his critics in a little black book, but he certainly remembers them. “I have a mental note of people who doubted me,” he says, “and it does feel good to prove them wrong.”

Like his former manager at Middlesbrough, Neil Warnock, who publicly criticised his commitment and said he’d end up playing in non-league. Spence later tweeted Warnock with that famous picture of himself smoking a cigar as he celebrated promotion to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest.

Or Antonio Conte, who declared Spence was not a signing he personally sanctioned when Tottenham recruited the full-back in a £12.5m deal, and called him an “investment by the club”. The words stung.

“I did really well, got promoted with Nottingham Forest, I’m buzzing, I’m going to sign for Tottenham,” Spence recalls. “So to hear comments like that wasn’t nice, it shatters your confidence. But I’m a fighter. Fast forward, I’m here now, so I’m happy.”

The defender is speaking to a huddle of journalists in a side room at St George’s Park following his first senior call-up to the England squad. He has been here before with England Under-21s, and says he feels at home after being officially welcomed by Thomas Tuchel in a team meeting on Tuesday. And yet it marks a new achievement unlocked in a career that continues to defy the disbelievers.

Daniel Farke was another, pointing to “professionalism” and “discipline” as reasons Leeds decided not to pursue a permanent transfer after a loan spell from Spurs. At which point a pattern was developing and it was fair to ask: does Spence have an attitude problem?

It is easy to see why his slow-moving demeanour might be interpreted as lacking enthusiasm, in stark contrast to his tenacity on the pitch. He walked in here and slouched down on a chair looking a bit like the kid at the back of the classroom. But then perhaps none of those coaches had the personal skills to unlock his talent, or they weren’t willing to try.

Ange Postecoglou’s tough-love approach brought out a positive reaction. Initially he left Spence out of last season’s Europa League squad. But when he gave out opportunities, the defender grasped them with both hands, playing a regular role and appearing in the Europa League final, which culminated in another picture holding a trophy while smoking a cigar, this trophy even bigger than the last.

Not that Postecoglou took any credit. “All I did was say, ‘you’ve earned a shot at it, here it is’, and he’s been brilliant. You know there’s a player there and sometimes you just need certain things to click into gear. The penny drops at different times for different players.”

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Djed Spence battles for the ball with Paris Saint-Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the Super Cup (Reuters)

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Spence holds off Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb in Tottenham’s win at the Etihad (Reuters)

Spence has produced some of the best performances of his career in recent weeks under new Tottenham manager Thomas Frank. He is tall and lean with square shoulders and a clever reading of the game, and he used his pace to shut down PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in August’s Super Cup final. He was exceptional again as Spurs stunned Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last month.

Frank is a coach known for his careful man-management, and Spence is already convinced. “He’s been amazing to me, he fills me with confidence. He’s very open and just a down to earth manager. I think he’s going to be amazing for the club.”

Spence is happy on either side of defence and he has been perfecting the art of the right-footed left-back, the Phil Neville role. He certainly doesn’t speak like a player who is not fully committed to his craft.

“I feel I’m getting better day by day and that’s down to me staying focused, being a sponge and listening to my coaches and the staff, just willing to learn. I want to be the best in my position and to do that you’ve got to keep working hard and keep taking on advice. You’ve got to do everything to the maximum.”

So his England call-up is hard earned. Spence was in the Tottenham canteen when he got the news and immediately sent an England emoji to the family Whatsapp group, who were eagerly waiting with phones in hand. Growing up in south London, his Jamaican dad was a passionate football fan and his Kenyan mum would take him to every training session, while his three sisters, who include the actress Karla-Simone Spence, are all close supporters of their brother’s career.

The Whatsapp group “went off”, he says. “Everybody was going crazy. After training I went into my car and called my family. It was an amazing moment for us.

“I’m the youngest child so I guess I’m the golden child,” he smiles. “We’re all very close, my sisters, my mum and my dad. My mum supports Tottenham. She has been by my side every step of the way, I can’t thank her enough. My dad the same.”

If football and family are two pillars of his life, the other is his faith. Spence is a practising Muslim, and he will become the first to play for the England men’s national team if he makes his debut.

“I was surprised, really – first ever? It’s just amazing,” he says. “God is the greatest. I pray a lot, I give gratitude to God. In the toughest moments of my life, the darkest moments, I’ve always believed that God has always been by my side.”

Not everyone has had such faith in Spence. But now he has the support of both the Tottenham and England managers, and a chance to claim a highly competitive place on the plane to the 2026 World Cup, only eight months away. So perhaps it is not so far-fetched to imagine the ultimate Spence photo: sitting in the changing room at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, draped in the St George’s flag, a cigar in his mouth and the World Cup at his feet.