Tottenham Hotspur hand out surprise contract extension to player who Leeds United boss says is "really cool"

Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has signed a new contract with the club, which runs until the summer of 2028. The 24-year-old joined Spurs in July 2022 from Middlesbrough but has made just 10 appearances for the North London outfit so far.

Most of his time contracted in North London has been spent out on loan. He joined Stade Rennais on loan for the second half of the 2022-23 season before securing a campaign-long loan at Leeds United for the 2023-24 season. However, that was cut short in early January with the defender heading to Serie A side Genoa a week later.

Spurs were initially open to letting Spence leave in the summer but the defender remained with the club after manager Ange Postecoglou publicly revealed his desire to keep the defender in his squad. Spence was left out of Tottenham’s Europa League squad as it was reduced to 23 players but his new deal appears to indicate he does have a long-term future at the club. He has appeared four times off the bench this season, most recently coming on for the entire second half in the 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford last month.

Despite having his loan cut short by Leeds earlier this year, Spence was still the subject of praise from Whites manager Daniel Farke. Speaking about that decision, Farke said at the time: "We analyse also what has happened in the recent months and also the recent weeks that we came to the decision, it's for us as a club the right decision right now to end the loan. It's not [a] topic that I speak in public about perhaps what was missing or the weaknesses of Djed Spence, because as long as I'm here in charge, I want us as a club to handle such a situation with class and with style.

"On such a day, it's more or less to say thanks a lot, Djed, for your service. Thanks a lot also for your work and we wish him really all the best because like I mentioned he's really like a cool guy with lots of potential, a good kid with a great heart and we wish him, really from the bottom of my heart, all the best for his future because he's a really good player. But for us it was definitely the right right call at this moment."

While Spence’s long-term future has been resolved, Spurs still have a number of players out of contract this summer. Decisions will need to be made soon as players in the final years of their contracts are free to talk to clubs outside of England from January, or six months before their respective deals expire. Son Heung-min is the biggest name out of contract in 2025 but there is a clause in his current contract that will allow Spurs to extend it for an extra year, according to the Evening Standard.

Spence could become a key player for Spurs in the years to come and his place at the club could be elevated if Pedro Porro leaves for Real Madrid. The Spanish club view Porro has an alternative option in the summer if they are not able to complete a deal for Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.