Leeds United have had a mixed couple of months, both on and off the pitch. Off the pitch, they have so far successfully kept hold of the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, and Luis Sinisterra. On the pitch, however, Daniel Farke’s side have not exactly set the world alight in the Championship, winning just one game.
Exiting the Carabao Cup on penalties against League Two outfit Salford City in their most recent outing, too, it’s clear that further reinforcements may well be needed at Elland Road. With that said, the Yorkshire club have welcomed a key defensive addition.
What’s the latest Leeds United transfer news?
So far this summer, Leeds have welcomed a total of five fresh faces, with the pick of the bunch arguably being Swansea City goalscorer Joel Piroe. The forward got off to the perfect start, too, finding the back of the net on his debut, as Leeds defeated Ipswich Town 4-3 for their first league win of the season.
Meanwhile, when it comes to outgoings, Farke has been forced to bid farewell to the likes of Tyler Adams, who joined Bournemouth, Rodrigo, who left for Qatar, and Robin Koch, who completed a move to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Those exits have at least made more room for incomings, though, and that has led to the arrival of Tottenham Hotspur rigt-back Djed Spence.
According to Phil Hay of The Athletic, Spence was set to have a medical at the club, and barring any late issues, he will join Leeds on a season-long loan, with the Yorkshire agreeing a deal with Spurs to pay a £1m fee.
On Wednesday morning, a move was announced, with Hay reacting to the deal by saying:
“Djed Spence from Spurs – done. Season-long loan. Tidy.”
How good is Djed Spence?
With plenty of experience in the Championship – making an impressive 102 appearances in what is still a young career – Spence appears to represent a solid piece of business from those at Elland Road.
The Spurs loanee will, of course, have to fight for his place under Farke, but statistically speaking, the Spurs loanee stands out when compared to current Leeds right-back Luke Ayling.
According to FBref, Spence outperformed Ayling in several areas last season.
|
Player |
Progressive Carries per 90 |
Blocks per 90 |
Pass Completion Rate |
Clearances per 90 |
|
Djed Spence |
3.59 |
1.56 |
87.3% |
2.34 |
|
Luke Ayling |
1.23 |
1.49 |
69.4% |
2.28 |
At his best, Spence has earned plenty of deserved praise, too, including from Brian Law, who told The Athletic:
“His rise has been remarkable. He has been the standout player in the Forest side and we are talking about a full-back.
“Full-backs do not tend to get many headlines. He grabs them by the handful. In every single game, he has a positive impact. He has power going forward, he has electric pace, he has an abundance of skill, he can drop his shoulder, step-over, go inside or outside — he is a major threat. I’ve been impressed with his one-to-one defending.
“He is decent on the back post, he is strong in the air. There is nothing I have seen that you could call a weakness.”