Chris Wilder has revealed his relief at the conclusion of the Djed Spence transfer saga.
The 21-year old is set to depart Middlesbrough following a protracted negotiation with Tottenham Hotspur over the defender’s future.
The full back is earning the move to the Premier League side off the back of a loan stint away from Boro last season.
Spence became a key part of Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest side as they earned promotion from the Championship.
Given Spence was not part of Wilder’s plans for the team, he is now relieved that everyone can now move on from the deal and focus on other transfer targets.
However, the fact Spurs were the only club showing concrete interest in the player is cited as the main reason why it became such a long negotiation process.
"It’s a boost for everyone. There has been far too much talk about it, but these deals just don’t happen overnight. It’s a big number for a player that has not played for us,” said Wilder, via Teesside Live.
“He had a fabulous season [at Nottingham Forest], everyone knows that.
"Tottenham were the only show in town, so they could hang out, which they have done. We needed to hang out, which we have done.
“Eventually, a deal has been done. Tottenham will feel they’ve got a very good deal for a young player, we feel we’ve got a great deal to get the money we’ve got for a player who has hardly played for the first-team here.
"Forest didn’t come in for him, nobody else came in for him, Tottenham were the only show in town.
“So that made it quite difficult for Neil [Bausor] and Steve [Gibson] to get the right number, but they did and they’re comfortable with it. As far as I’m concerned, he’s gone, I don’t have to speak about it again and we move on.”
Middlesbrough will be looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the upcoming season, which gets underway at the end of the month.
Wilder will be aiming to go one step further in their promotion chase this campaign, having finished 7th in the table last term.
Their opening game comes against West Brom on July 30.
The Verdict
Tottenham have had a busy window and have moved quickly to bring in a lot of targets to improve their squad.
But the Spence move has been classic Daniel Levy in a lot of ways, in which he has used time to his advantage to get the price lowered.
This should be a deal that keeps all parties happy, as Boro are getting a very good fee for a player who wasn’t even in the squad last season.
Meanwhile, Spence has shown he is ready for the step up to the Premier League, and the chance to work under Antonio Conte will be massively exciting for his development.