Thomas Frank to axe Djed Spence for Tottenham vs Bournemouth after England call-up
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Credit: Imago
Jack Heath
Fri 29 August 2025 17:37, UK
Thomas Frank has to consider dropping Djed Spence from the Tottenham team for Bournemouth even after his England call-up.
With two wins in two, it has been the ideal start for Frank, even after Tottenham’s defeat to PSG in the UEFA Super Cup before the season begun.
One of the ever-presents in the Dane’s lineups has been the Englishman who recently got the call-up to Thomas Tuchel‘s national side for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
Despite the sensational news for the 25-year-old, Spence‘s mixed performances on the field begs a critical question, whether he should be dropped to the bench for Tottenham‘s match against Bournemouth due to the return of Destiny Udogie.
Credit: Imago
As per Football.London (29 August), the former Brentford boss confirmed that the Italian defender could “feature” for the Lilywhites against the Cherries.
The 22-year-old has been out since a pre-season match against Reading with the return a timely one to bolster the left-back spot ahead of the start of the Champions League.
My suggestion to drop Spence to the bench for the next game is not due to the number 24 needing to be wrapped in cotton wool ahead of making his senior debut for England, but actually because of the match-up against Bournemouth in itself.
Djed Spence Tottenham matches 2025-26Times lost possessionv Bayern Munich9 (64 minutes played)v PSG12v Burnley5v Man City19(Source: Sofascore)
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Praise has been heaped on the young Englishman for covering Udogie’s absence yet one thing I’ve noted is how wasteful the left-back is with the ball.
Against Man City alone he conceded possession 19 times, highlighting his carelessness when playing against tougher opposition.
When the former Nottingham Forest defender faced Burnley on the opening game of the season, he lost the ball just five times, showing that the 25-year-old would be better off playing against weaker opposition.
Considering the number 24 has been deceptively poor defensively, mostly due to the brilliance of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero covering him, I feel Frank should ponder over a change at left-back.
As a player, known for being more creative than Udogie, the Dane is better off utilising the Englishman in matches against teams that operate with low-blocks and are tricky to break down (e.g. Burnley) to utilise his attacking talents.
Against Andoni Iraola, who coaches his side to be potent on transition, the ex-Bees boss could opt to surprise the Spaniard by inviting the Cherries onto Spurs.
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This would essentially eliminate the south coast side’s sharpest tool, their counter-attacking pace, allowing Tottenham to be the ones to strike on the counter.
Therefore, players cannot be loose in possession, hinting towards the obvious preference to give Udogie the nod over Spence for this game to win the ball back and quickly drive up the pitch, finding the killer pass.
I am by no means disrespecting the progress the, hopefully, soon-to-be England international has made since being cast out under Antonio Conte, but for the sake of the team, he should sit this one out and play when it suits his play style.