Conte could finally axe shocking Spurs liability with "swashbuckling" £10m machine - opinion

Tottenham manager Antonio Conte could finally replace Emerson Royal by signing Nottingham Forest dynamo Djed Spence this summer.

Amid reports back in the January transfer window claiming that the north London club were looking at signing Adama Traore and using him as a right wing-back, it’s clear that Conte is keen to strengthen that position.

Goal have now claimed that it’s Spurs who are leading the race to sign Spence, although a number of European giants, including Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, are circling as well.

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, the 21-year-old full-back could be available for a reasonable fee, even despite the competition that appears to exist for his signature.

He told GiveMeSport: “There’s going to be a lot of competition to sign him, but Middlesbrough are open to the idea of him leaving permanently. I think it’s £10m, I was told, that was the figure, which isn’t that bad for a Premier League club to be signing a player at that level.”

Described as a “constant threat” by former Premier League title winner Wes Morgan, Spence really came to the fore with a performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup in January, a display which had Ian Wright waxing lyrical about him.

The BBC pundit gushed: “Let me say, that was one of the best right-back performances I have seen for a very long time. A very long time. I have not seen a combative, technical, swashbuckling performance like that for a very long time.”

With Emerson struggling badly since his move to Spurs last summer – he’s been dubbed a “liability” by some fans following his performances – Conte could find the ideal replacement in Spence.

Indeed, former Spurs defender Jonathan Woodgate has recently claimed that the 22-year-old would be