Liverpool's Full-Back Puzzle: Is Djed Spence the Answer?

Liverpool’s summer has been framed by one question: who follows Mohamed Salah? But away from the marquee headlines and attacking glamour, a quieter, more pragmatic debate is taking shape. It sits in the full-back zones, and it has led one well-connected Liverpool reporter to a name few on Merseyside expected to take seriously – Djed Spence.

A World Cup that changed the conversation

Six weeks ago, Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail would have dismissed the idea. On Anfield Index’s Media Matters, he admitted as much. Spence simply wasn’t on his radar as a Liverpool-level signing.

Then came the World Cup.

Spence has been one of England’s standout performers in North America, and his semi-final display against Argentina jolted opinions. Steele went as far as to call him England’s best player on the night. That kind of performance doesn’t just tweak scouting reports; it forces clubs to re-run the entire calculation.

At Tottenham, the calculation looks very different. Spurs are ready to sanction a sale. Inter Milan are currently seen as the frontrunners. TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey reported on July 14 that Liverpool and Newcastle are in the mix as well, with Spurs prepared to cash in.

The price? Somewhere between £30–40 million, boosted by those World Cup displays in an England shirt.

Liverpool’s full-back puzzle

Strip away the noise and Liverpool’s squad-building needs are blunt. They require full-backs. Not in theory. In reality.

On the left, Milos Kerkez needs genuine competition. Kostas Tsimikas is back from his loan at Roma and will be assessed in pre-season as Andoni Iraola weighs up his options before the window shuts on September 1. It is still not clear whether the Greek will be trusted as a long-term rotation option or treated as a saleable asset if the right bid lands.

On the right, there is another gap. The tactical demands on Liverpool’s full-backs are extreme – high intensity, versatility, comfort on the ball, and the ability to cope in transition. Depth in both positions isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.

This is where Spence suddenly starts to make football sense.

Steele highlighted one trait in particular: Spence can operate on both flanks. That two-sided flexibility is precisely what Liverpool lack. One signing, two roles covered. In a squad that could be reshaped in several areas this summer, that kind of profile is gold dust.

“I think they’re a left back short. I think they’re a right back short,” Steele said. Spence, on paper, ticks both boxes.

Sense on paper, doubt in reality

For all that, Steele is not dressing this up as an active chase. He has been clear: he has not heard anything concrete to suggest Liverpool are moving for Spence.

That tension is what makes this link intriguing. The logic is obvious. The evidence of firm Anfield intent is not.

Spence is 25, coming off a major international tournament in which he has enhanced his reputation. Tottenham are open to selling. Inter Milan are circling. Liverpool and Newcastle have been mentioned as contenders. The fit, stylistically and structurally, is easy to map out. But Steele’s information stops short of confirming that Liverpool are ready to turn admiration into action.

“It would make an awful lot of sense if they were to step it up,” he said, before stressing he has no indication yet that they will.

The price of cover

The financial question lingers in the background. Spurs want £30–40m. For a defender who might initially arrive as cover for Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, that is a serious outlay.

Liverpool have paid that kind of money for full-backs before when they were convinced those players would define an era. This feels different. Spence would be joining an already competitive environment, not walking into a clear vacancy with guaranteed minutes.

The club must decide whether his World Cup form, his versatility, and his age justify a fee that reflects both his England performances and Tottenham’s leverage. It is one thing to admire a player who has just shone on the biggest stage; it is another to commit £40m to someone who may start the season as a rotation option.

A summer of moving parts

While Spence’s future is debated, Liverpool’s wider transfer picture keeps shifting. Steele has also pointed to the chase for Bradley Barcola as a saga that could define the summer, with multiple sources feeding into what is becoming a complex, high-profile pursuit.

What will not be happening is a deal between Spurs and Liverpool for Cody Gakpo. Any notion of the Dutchman heading to north London has been shut down, removing one potential wrinkle from negotiations between the clubs.

So the Spence question hangs there. A player transformed in perception by a World Cup. A club that needs exactly his kind of flexibility. A price that demands conviction, not curiosity.

Liverpool have solved bigger puzzles than this in recent windows. The only issue now is whether they see Djed Spence as a cornerstone of Iraola’s new era – or just a clever idea that never quite leaves the drawing board.