Tottenham loan star Djed Spence in classy gesture after Rennes' Europa League exit

Stuart Telford

• 24 Feb 2023 15:36 GMT
• 3 min read

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence hasn't exactly impressed whilst on loan at Rennes this season, but he won some teammates over with his gesture on Thursday.

England under-21 Spence joined Spurs from Middlesbrough for £20 million last July, but with Emerson Royal and, at the time, Matt Doherty in his way, was allowed to leave on loan to Rennes.

But he has simply acted as understudy to Rennes captain Hamari Traoré, making only three Ligue 1 starts. He played as the Brittany side were edged out of the Europa League on penalties by Shakhtar Donetsk, though, and won plaudits for his behaviour after their defeat.

READ: Spence's sister takes aim at Conte after Arsenal defeat

Rennes had won the first leg 2-1 before losing the second by the same score, and Lesley Ugochukwu missed a decisive penalty, giving Kevin Kelsy the chance to win the tie for the Ukrainians, which he did.

An opportunistic cameraman attempted to capture the Nigerian's misery after his miss, but Spence waved him away.

It was a move that is sure to endear Spence to his new teammates, but his club future remains uncertain.

READ: Pedro Porro to Tottenham: how wonderkid decision unlocked transfer

Conte: 'not my idea'

Spence signed a five-year contract last summer, but Spurs manager Antonio Conte admitted that the purchase wasn't his idea.

"Spence is an investment of the club," he said. "The club wanted to do it. I said 'OK, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us'. [But] the club decided to buy him."

Spence is valued at the €20 million Spurs signed him for by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but with Conte's future uncertain, another loan move at the end of the season seems like the defender's most likely next step.

Lyon are reportedly interested in Spence, and they will have a gap at right-back next season with Malo Gusto set to move to Chelsea having been bought by the Blues in January before being loaned back.