Tottenham Hotspur star Djed Spence will find it 'tough' to break into Antonio Conte's preferred side and there may be loan enquiries to take him away from Hotspur Way in January, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The north Londoners were busy during the summer window, forking out more than £150million on new talent, and Spence was among the fresh faces to join Conte's charges.
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What's the latest news involving Spence?
Spence joined Tottenham in a deal worth up to £20million from Championship side Middlesbrough in July, but he has struggled to secure regular game-time in his new surroundings.
The right-back has only made one appearance for the capital club, with that coming in the form of a late substitute outing at Nottingham Forest.
Spence worked his way onto Spurs' radar thanks to his form with Forest last season as he chalked up eight goal contributions in 46 appearances and played a key role in the club winning promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.
The 22-year-old had been confident of joining Tottenham since January, but it became clear that he was facing an uphill battle to convince head coach Conte that he is worthy of a regular starting berth from the moment he joined.
That is because the Italian confirmed it was the club's decision to force through the move and pursuing Spence was not his personal choice.
What has Dean Jones said about Spence?
Jones believes the Carabao Cup could be the competition where Spence ends up making his mark with Spurs.
However, the journalist has refused to rule out the possibility of the full-back being the subject of loan proposals when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "If Djed Spence is going to break through, he's got to earn it.
"It might be the Carabao Cup is his platform but, ultimately, I think this season's going to be a tough one for him to make a name for himself in that Tottenham team.
"It might even be that he has loan enquiries when we get to January."
Who is keeping Spence out of the right-back slot?
Emerson Royal completed the £25.8million switch from La Liga giants Barcelona last year and he is clearly at the top of the pecking order during the early stages of the campaign.
The Brazilian has started all seven of Spurs' matches this season and made the right-back position his own.
Matt Doherty has also secured more action than Spence during the opening weeks of the 2022/23 term, so it is obvious that the three-cap England under-21 international has a lot of work to do if he wants to become a first-team regular at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.