Spence's Inter move: a fresh start, finally

Player

Djed Spence, right-back, England international, 26 years old.

Current club

Tottenham Hotspur. Spence arrived at Spurs in the summer of 2022 off the back of a season at Middlesbrough that turned heads across the continent. The loan spell was electric: driving runs, direct defending, the kind of energy that made him look like a future starter for a top-six side. What followed at Spurs was the opposite of that.

Antonio Conte didn't trust him. Loan moves to Rennes and Leeds followed. By the time Spurs finally settled on a direction under Ange Postecoglou, Spence was somewhere near the bottom of the right-back pecking order. He made appearances, but never the kind that stick. Four years at the club, and it never quite clicked.

Linked club

Inter Milan. Simone Inzaghi's side won Serie A in 2024 and reached the Champions League final the same year. They run a high-tempo system that demands right-backs who can cover ground in both directions, and Spence's profile fits that brief directly. If Inter are paying up to €35m for Spence, they have a specific role in mind, and the belief that the player who terrorised the Championship in 2021-22 is still in there somewhere.

Source

Football Italia confirmed the deal as official [4]. Sky Sports reported the completion of the agreement [5]. BBC Sport cited a minimum fee of £25.6m [6]. ESPN tracked the progression from early talks [2] through to Spence landing in Italy ahead of completing the move [3].

Reliability

This is done. Football Italia confirmed it as official [4]. The fee discrepancy across outlets is a base-versus-bonuses question, not a sign the deal is in doubt.

What's being claimed

Spence has signed for Inter Milan in a deal worth a minimum of around £25.6m, rising to £30m and potentially to €35m in full with add-ons, depending on which outlet's figure you take as the ceiling. He flew to Italy ahead of completing the move, per ESPN [3], and Football Italia confirmed the signing is official [4].

What would make sense

Inter have historically been smart in the right-back market. Spence offers something different: pace, directness, and an engine that suits Inzaghi's high-tempo system. At 26, he is old enough to be ready and young enough to have a proper career at the club. The Middlesbrough version of Spence was a genuinely exciting player. Serie A, with its different defensive rhythms, might suit him better than the Premier League ever did.

He also arrives with England international status, which gives Inter a player with a ceiling, not just a floor.

What still needs to happen

The formalities appear to be complete. Spence is in Milan. The deal is confirmed. The only open question is the exact fee structure, but that is an accounting detail, not a football one.

What Inter need to work out is whether Inzaghi gets the Middlesbrough Spence or the Spurs one. Inter are clearly backing the former. Tottenham, quietly, will be relieved either way.