Djed Spence was certainly one player Daniel Farke was unable to get the best out of at Leeds United.
Spence moved to Elland Road on a season-long-loan from Spurs last summer but saw his time cut short halfway through due to apparent attitude and time-keeping issues.
The 24-year-old has since denied those claims but there is no doubt Leeds never got to see what Spence had to offer, which is a shame considering how good he was at this level for Nottingham Forest.
After just a handful of minutes on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday, Spence then picked up an injury that would rule him out for the next three months.
Unfortunately, once he finally recovered, Spence was used predominantly at left-back, which never really allowed him to show his best, and as such, he was sent back to Spurs.
Farke could regret his Spence use at Leeds
When he went on loan to Genoa in January, Spence’s career at Spurs had seemed all but certainly over.
However, Spence enjoyed a positive time out in Italy and so due to the number of players who returned late to Spurs for pre-season after Euro 2024, he was given a final chance to impress in pre-season.
It would appear Spence very much took that chance as he is now firmly part of the first team squad again at Spurs, which in itself is a clear sign of his Premier League ability.
And after sitting on the bench for the majority of the season so far, Spence was handed the full second half against Coventry City last night.
With it looking like Spurs would be embarrassed once again, up stepped Spence to net an equalising goal, with Brennan Johnson then bagging the winner just moments later.
With Archie Gray also making his full Spurs debut, Spence is actually said to have outshone his former Leeds teammate, a clear sign of what Farke missed out on last season.
Farke would almost select Gray ahead of Spence at right-back and while the teenager did a good job, it is not his natural position.
The ‘incredible‘ Spence on the other hand has so much pace and directness when it comes to getting forward, which could’ve been such a useful asset for Leeds.
Throughout Farke’s tenure at Leeds, right-back has never seemed a position he has ever been overly happy with, and Jayden Bogle hasn’t really helped matters since joining.
Had Farke got the best out of Spence, he could have been the solution for so many years to come at Elland Road.
What Spence said about his time under Farke at Leeds
Spence was given the opportunity to respond to claims about his time-keeping and struggles at Leeds in an interview a couple of months after his exit.
He outright denied there were ever any problems regarding his lateness, as well as claiming Farke never gave him the chance to play in his best position.
He said: “I went there, things were going well, then I got injured. I got quite a bad injury to my knee, then I came back but I was still getting pain.
“I came back and was playing a bit but I was playing on the wrong side (at left-back). It wasn’t easy. It didn’t get the best out of me, everyone wants to play in their best position.
“I don’t think that’s fair at all. I don’t necessarily agree with what they said. But in football, this is how it is: you have to keep your head down, keep going and eventually prove people wrong.
“Some of it is a bit blown out of proportion. You can be late once and if you’re not playing, it’s a problem, and if you are playing, then it’s not a problem.”
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