Djed Spence cut a frustrated figure after being withdrawn during the second half of Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The 22-year-old full-back, who had taken a knock earlier in the match, was brought off for Ben Davies at the hour mark, a substitution that clearly didn’t sit well with him under Thomas Frank’s management.
As he departed the pitch, Spence appeared to challenge the Danish manager’s judgement, throwing his arms up in apparent protest. The England defender, instrumental in Forest’s promotion to the Premier League in 2022, was warmly applauded by the City Ground faithful as he made his way off.
Upon reaching the technical area, Spence tossed his jacket to the ground in visible annoyance. Moments after the 25 year old’s departure, Ibrahim Sangaré compounded Tottenham’s misery, thundering home from distance past Guglielmo Vicario to make it three.
This isn’t the first occasion Spence has been at odds with Frank during the current campaign. Last month, both he and Micky van de Ven were caught on camera appearing to blank their manager following a chastening loss to Chelsea.
Frank had walked onto the pitch after the final whistle to offer support to his squad, only for the pair to seemingly ignore his presence. The Spurs manager played down the episode when addressing the media afterwards, later revealing that both Spence and Van de Ven had apologised for their conduct.
« All the players are of course frustrated, » the Danish boss explained. « They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform well, so I understand that.
« I think it is about which is difficult to be consistent in good times and in bad times. That is why I went around to the fans as I did. It is more fun when we win, I can tell you that. »
Addressing whether the conduct of Spence and Van de Ven crossed a line, Frank responded: « I understand why you ask the question, but I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence, who are doing everything they can.
« They perform very well so far this season, and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem. »
Subsequently, when speaking to the press ahead of the commanding 4-0 victory against Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League, Frank set the record straight. He revealed: « Yes, Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday unprompted.
« They just wanted to say sorry for the situation. They didn’t want it to look bad or disrespectful or all kind of perception you can get in this beautiful media world.
« That was not their intention at all towards me or the team or the club. They were just frustrated with the performance, the loss and the booing during the game. »
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