Former Tottenham scout Bryan King has questioned Spurs’ decision to sell their 26yo to Inter Milan for around £25.6 million.
Former senior Tottenham Hotspur scout Bryan King has voiced complete astonishment after Spurs agreed to sell 26-year-old full-back Djed Spence to Serie A champions Inter Milan for a fee of around £25.6 million.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, King questioned why Tottenham accepted such a modest proposal for a versatile defender who remained under contract in North London for several more years, especially following his impressive displays for England at the summer World Cup.
Critiquing Tottenham’s willingness to let Spence leave for what he considers a bargain price, King shared his shock at the financial agreement:
“I can’t understand how you can bring in the kind of players that they brought in and let an established England international leave the football club for £25m,” King stated. “Either he had a release clause in his contract or he’s been told that his future is not at the football club. That I can’t see. I don’t know the way these things work regarding the money situation. The PSR [profit and sustainability rules]. But to lose a player of that quality, and he is quality, I mean he can play anywhere.”
King also expressed bewilderment over why rival Premier League sides, such as Everton, failed to outbid Inter Milan, suggesting an unpublicized overseas release clause might have dictated terms:
“I’m surprised an English Premier League club never went big for him, did you? Unless that was the clause in the contract, that he could go abroad for that kind of money. I don’t know,” King continued. “Well, that’s the only thing I could see. If he wanted to go, they’d allow him to go abroad. I mean, Inter aren’t a bad team, by the way. So, I just can’t understand that if they allowed him to go for £25m, how one of the top teams had come in for him, I would not know. It’s a very strange deal to me.”
Tactical Context and Market Dynamics Behind the Transfer
From a tactical perspective, Tottenham’s decision to facilitate Spence’s exit stems from squad reshuffling under head coach Roberto De Zerbi. Following the summer acquisition of Andrew Robertson alongside established left-back Destiny Udogie, competition across both full-back flanks became intensely congested. For Inter Milan, acquiring a versatile wide player capable of operating on either flank fits seamlessly into their fluid system, where wing-backs are required to carry heavy athletic loads. Fresh off featuring in all eight matches during England’s run to a third-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spence provides proven top-tier quality.
When evaluated against broader market trends, King’s frustration reflects a widely held sentiment among supporters. Comparing the transaction to Aston Villa’s £25 million talks for West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is two years older and lacks recent senior international caps, Tottenham appear to have accepted a sum well below open market rates. Whether influenced by contract terms or financial compliance requirements, letting a prime-age international leave for £25.6 million represents a surprisingly conservative deal for North London negotiators.