Liverpool Eye Djed Spence as Defensive Reinforcement

Liverpool have turned their gaze towards north London, weighing up a move for Tottenham defender Djed Spence as Andoni Iraola’s concerns over his back line grow louder with each passing pre-season setback.

Tottenham and Liverpool have lived through very different summers. Spurs have moved aggressively, six signings already through the door and more planned, with the attacking third the next area Daniel Levy wants to light up. Liverpool, by contrast, have added just two players, one of those – Jeremy Jacquet – tied up months ago and hardly a headline arrival.

Yet it is at the back, not in attack, where Liverpool now feel exposed.

Iraola’s defensive alarm

Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni will not be fit to start the new campaign. Joe Gomez has already suffered a muscle injury in pre-season. The depth chart at right-back looks thin, and Iraola has not been shy in flagging it. As reported in late July, the new Liverpool boss has asked FSG for defensive reinforcements, specifically on that side of the pitch.

That need has pushed Spence back into the frame.

AnfieldIndex had already linked Liverpool with Tottenham’s ultra-versatile full-back, and a fresh update from Anfield Sector has now sharpened the picture: the 25-year-old would, in their words, jump at the chance to move to Anfield.

The interest is real. The question is whether Liverpool decide Spence is the one.

Spence ‘very open’ – but not cheap

“Liverpool have an interest in Tottenham defender Djed Spence,” Anfield Sector posted on X, adding that Spence is “extremely receptive” to the idea of a move to Merseyside. They also underlined Iraola’s worries over his current right-backs and stressed that Spence is not the only name on the list, so there is no guarantee the pursuit will advance.

Their information was sourced alongside X account @szyexcl, a handle that has built a reputation for being well connected around Tottenham. At the same time, @szyexcl wrote that Liverpool “hold an interest” in Spence, that the player would be “very open” to a move if an offer arrives, and that Spurs would seek at least £35m.

That fee would represent a sizeable commitment for a defender who has yet to truly establish himself at Tottenham. For Liverpool, it would have to solve more than one problem.

Spence’s appeal is obvious: pace, energy, and the ability to operate across the defensive line. In Iraola’s high-intensity, front-foot system, a full-back who can press, cover large spaces, and slot into different roles carries real value. With Bradley and Leoni sidelined and Gomez already nursing an issue, Spence looks less like a luxury and more like a potential necessity.

Spurs’ reshaping, Liverpool’s dilemma

All this unfolds while Tottenham continue their own rebuild. Savinho is the priority for the right wing, and Ange Postecoglou also wants either a left winger or a striker. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo has appeared on Spurs’ radar, with the suggestion that the Reds could sanction his sale if they first land a direct replacement. It paints a picture of two clubs willing to reshape key areas of their squads, but from very different starting points.

For Spurs, cashing in on a fringe defender at £35m-plus would help fuel their attacking push. For Liverpool, that same figure would have to be justified as the price of shoring up a vulnerable flank in a season where Iraola cannot afford a slow start.

The interest is there. The player is keen. The valuation is clear.

Now it comes down to whether Liverpool believe Djed Spence is the right defender to carry that price tag – and whether Tottenham are truly prepared to let a potentially revitalised full-back walk into a direct rival’s dressing room.