Djed Spence's Future at Tottenham: De Zerbi's Clear Message

Roberto de Zerbi has spent the summer ripping up Tottenham’s squad. One player he is determined not to lose is Djed Spence.

The Italian, speaking on tour in Sydney, was blunt about the England defender’s future but equally clear about his importance. Spence, 25, has been linked with Inter Milan and Everton despite signing a long-term deal only last year, yet De Zerbi wants him at the heart of his rebuild.

“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, repeating the same message he had delivered to both Spence and Lucas Bergvall behind closed doors.

This is the new Tottenham. No passengers, no half-commitments.

Spence, Porro and a ruthless right flank

Spence started 23 of his 30 Premier League games last season as Spurs clung to safety, finishing 17th for the second year running. He was one of the few constants in a chaotic campaign that ended with survival only secured on the final day.

Now he finds his place under direct threat.

Spain’s World Cup winner Pedro Porro has nailed down the right-back role, with De Zerbi going as far as to label him “the best in the world” in that position. That is the level Spence must match if he stays. The message is clear: fight or go.

For De Zerbi, the decision rests with the player, but the desire is obvious. Amid a summer of upheaval and record spending, he still sees Spence as part of the core.

A squad torn up and rebuilt

Tottenham have already smashed their transfer record twice in two days, throwing £237m at a squad that flirted with disaster last season.

• First came Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m.
• Then Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle for £100m, a statement signing in both price and profile.
• Jan Paul van Hecke followed from Brighton in a £52m deal, while Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all walked through the door on free transfers, adding experience and steel.

This is not tinkering. It is surgery.

De Zerbi describes himself as a “shark” in the market this summer, circling targets and striking hard when the moment is right. By his own calculation, “60%” of the project is complete. The rest will not be subtle.

“Now we have another ‘bomba’,” he teased, when asked about the next move.

He confirmed the focus is on attackers and dismissed the idea of fallback options. “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 in advanced talks, one of the forwards Tottenham are pushing for, with another attacking target also in play. De Zerbi wants goals, pace, and edge. He intends to get them.

Romero, Vicario and the cost of change

The flip side of such an aggressive rebuild is the scale of the exodus.

Captain Cristian Romero is among those expected to leave. The defender was criticised for flying back to Argentina while injured before the final game of last season, only to return in time to play. De Zerbi rejected the backlash, defending the centre-back’s conduct during his tenure.

He called Romero’s behaviour “unbelievable” and stressed that the desire to leave was “his will”, not the result of any internal conflict. The decision, like so many at Tottenham this summer, was made early.

“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 here or not,” De Zerbi explained.

His response to them was as cold as it was honest: “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 stayed up. Some now get their move.

Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is also expected to depart after losing his place to Antonin Kinsky. Another big call, another symbol of a manager unafraid to overturn the hierarchy.

Tottenham’s new edge

Across the pitch, status is being challenged. Spence must wrestle with Porro. Senior figures like Romero and Vicario are on their way out. High-priced arrivals are walking into a dressing room that only just escaped relegation.

De Zerbi is not simply refreshing a squad; he is changing its personality.

The question now is who chooses to stay in that environment. Spence, with his prime years ahead of him and a manager publicly urging him to commit, sits right at that crossroads.

Tottenham have their shark in the dugout and their “bomba” still to land in attack. Whether Spence decides to swim with that current or escape it could define not just his own career, but the shape of De Zerbi’s first true Spurs side.