Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder takes sly dig at Tottenham Hotspur’s Djed Spence
Djed Spence left Middlesbrough this summer to join Tottenham Hotspur for an initial transfer fee of £19million. He went through the media routine after signing the contract but irked Chris Wilder with his comments, or the lack of it.
Neil Warnock was Boro’s boss when they surprisingly decided to loan out Djed Spence to the Tricky Trees last summer. The English defender went on to have an amazing season, helping Forest seal promotion to the Premier League.
The campaign included some high-profile displays from Spence, especially against Arsenal and Liverpool in domestic cup games. He clearly enjoyed his time in West Bridgford but it seems that being loaned out by Warnock soured his relationship with his former parent club.
Wilder, while giving his thoughts on Spence’s move to N17, claimed that the defender could have given Boro a heads up in his comments. He said (h/t the Express):
“It’s a great deal for a player who has hardly played at all. He hardly mentioned us, did he? He mentioned his season at Forest, I thought he might have mentioned the people who brought him in when he got freed at Fulham.”
Spence left Fulham’s academy in 2018 and joined Middlesbrough as a free agent. Since then, he has only gotten better and the 21-year-old will now fight to become Spurs’ first-choice right-wing-back.
As for Wilder’s comments, it is understandable where he is coming from. But Spence doesn’t owe them anything of that sort – he has the right to thank the club that helped him the most in getting where he is.
Sure, Middlesbrough played a big part in that as well, but it was at Forest where he got his big break. Moreover, the sour relationship between him and Warnock isn’t a secret.
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Such things can demotivate players but the Englishman did not let anything get in his way and is now set to play in the UEFA Champions League next season – a competition every young footballer would dream of playing in when they make it big.
