Ange Postecoglou admits that Djed Spence was disappointed to be left out of Tottenham’s Europa League squad but insists that the full-back will get minutes in the domestic competitions this season.

Spurs left Spence out of Europa League squad

With Tottenham having only two club-trained players as opposed to the required four, it meant that Postecoglou had to name two fewer players in his squad rather than the allotted 25.

While the decision to leave out Sergio Reguilon was a relatively straightforward one, many were surprised that the Australian omitted Spence from the list, given that the 24-year-old has already come on as a substitute on two occasions this season.

Postecoglou confessed the decision was not easy and assured the former Middlesbrough man that he would get opportunities.

Djed Spence was gutted with Ange’s decision

When asked how Spence reacted to being left out, the Spurs boss told The Standard: “He’s disappointed. It was always going to be a difficult decision with the make-up of our squad currently. With the lack of club-trained players, we were always going to have to leave somebody out.”

“Djed was the unfortunate one. But, at the same time, Djed has already played in the Premier League, and if you asked him at the start of the season where he sees himself, I think the fact he’s part of our squad and will play a huge part in our year as he has already, I don’t think he should take too much disappointment.

Postecoglou explained that his decision to leave out Englishman was made due to squad balance, explaining that he felt he had sufficient cover at the back, especially on the right side.

The 59-year-old added: “Obviously, everyone wants to play, but in the end, it was about team balance for us. We just feel that with the squad we’ve got, we’ve got some cover on the right side, some players that can cover on the left side.”

“I always tend to go for more attacking players in those scenarios. So Djed misses out, but as I say he’s already played a couple of games in the Premier League and there will be plenty of football for him if he keeps going like he is.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I do not think Ange was ever going to consider leaving out Fraser Forester as he does not trust either Alfie Whiteman or Brandan Austin. So the only other player that he could have left out is someone like Timo Werner, which was always unlikely to happen.

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The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.