Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Don’t Want to Sign Djed Spence, Actually

It’s always dangerous to read too much into a good World Cup. Still, if you’re a Liverpool side thin on homegrown talent with major question marks at right back and you have a chance to sign a 25-year-old England international who can also cover left back (where you also have some less major question marks) and it would only cost around £35M, it feels like something you have to go for.

That was the consensus reaction to chatter over the past 24 hours linking Liverpool with Tottenham fullback Djed Spence. Spence probably isn’t better than right back Conor Bradley when he’s fit—but counting on Bradley staying fit at this point seems unwise. Spence is probably a defensive upgrade on Jeremie Frimpong, who also was out a lot last season. And at left back, he’s an upgrade on backup Kostas Tsimikas.

He wouldn’t be a flashy signing, but for Liverpool’s needs he seemed eminently sensible. However, it appears he’s not actually a player they’re currently trying to sign. That’s according to TalkSport’s Ben Jacobs, who is widely believed to have good connections to disastrous Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and who says Liverpool are instead “focused on other targets.”

The hope amongst fans, given the significant squad depth, balance, and a lack of homegrown talent issues in Hughes’ third summer in charge—after being gifted a title-calibre squad when he took over back in 2024—will be that those other targets will be defensive and that that isn’t code for Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye. Who are both very good players but, you know, are also both attackers.

Whatever Hughes’ actual plans are, if Spence isn’t a player they’re looking to sign this summer then time is running out with just two weeks until the 2026-27 season kicks off. And Liverpool really do need a right back. And a centre half. And a defensive midfielder. And at least one winger. And a second winger if Cody Gakpo is sold. And a second midfielder if Curtis Jones is sold.

So that’s fun when your sporting director has taken one of Europe’s best squads and made it inarguably worse, less balanced, less deep, and bungled multiple succession plans since taking over and is now widely expected to pop the parachute and head to the Saudi Pro League at the end of the summer for the payday and/or to avoid the fallout from, well, all of that. Good job, Richard. Good process.