Djed Spence has enjoyed a breakout season at Tottenham this year.
A difficult campaign in terms of results and injuries led Ange Postecoglou to throw the England U21 international into his backline, where he has truly shone.
Ledley King has praised Spence – along with the likes of Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer – calling the defender “fantastic” in a campaign where he has really stepped up for Tottenham.
The Spurs No.24 has impressed both defensively and going forwards, shackling Mohamed Salah as Tottenham beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, while registering four goal involvements in his 24 appearances.
Confidence seems to be high for Djed Spence – as the Londoner even laughed at the suggestion of Gabriel Martinelli troubling him when speaking to Rio Ferdinand on Five.
Djed Spence laughs off Gabriel Martinelli question
When the 24-year-old was asked if there are any attackers who worry him, he confidently replied: “A 1v1 battle? Nah, I don’t think there’s many out there.”
Joel Beya, co-host of Ferdinand’s Five podcast on YouTube, then asked: “What about my boy? Martinelli?”
Spence did not even justify that question with any words in response, instead bursting into laughter.
It was a quite brutal way of saying the Brazil international causes him no concern whatsoever, without even uttering a word.
Conversely, Gabriel Martinelli rates Djed Spence highly
Interestingly, Martinelli actually chose Spence as his toughest opponent when asked the question by The Athletic back in February 2022.
The South American said: “Actually, the guy from Nottingham Forest, Djed Spence, who I played against in the FA Cup. He is very strong, good on the ball, calm and quick. I was surprised – he is a really good player.”
At that point, Spence had only ever played Championship football, and was yet to make his Premier League debut, so it could be argued that the Tottenham star is a much better footballer nowadays than the one Martinelli struggled against.
