Djed Spence Completes Transfer to Inter Milan

Djed Spence has closed the book on what he called a “special chapter” at Tottenham Hotspur and opened another at Inter Milan, completing a permanent move to the Italian champions on a five-year deal.

Inter have agreed a fee of around €30 million with Spurs, sources told ESPN, as they move to reshape their right flank after Denzel Dumfries’ summer switch to Real Madrid. At 26 and fresh from an outstanding World Cup, Spence arrives not as a project, but as a ready-made starter.

From Bilbao to Milan

Spence leaves north London with 85 appearances for Tottenham and a Europa League winner’s medal, that triumph in Bilbao etched deepest into his memory.

“A special chapter comes to an end. It’s been some journey, with plenty of memories, moments and experiences that I’ll carry with me forever, especially that night in Bilbao,” he wrote in a social media farewell before the transfer was announced.

“Thanks to all the staff members who’ve helped me along the way, the players who’ve become family & most importantly thank you to the fans. Time for a new chapter now, but Spurs will always have a place in my heart. COYS !!!”

The words had the feel of closure. Tottenham had already begun to move on.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi never fully built his plans around Spence. ESPN had reported that the Italian did not see the defender as essential for the coming campaign, and last month De Zerbi underlined his hierarchy by labelling Pedro Porro the “best in the world” in the right-back position. The direction of travel was clear.

World Cup springboard

If Spence was drifting towards the exit at club level, his international form dragged his value sharply in the opposite direction.

He played in all eight of England’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, starting both the semifinal defeat to Argentina and the third-place playoff win over France. His consistency and athleticism on the right side turned him into one of the tournament’s breakout full-backs and, crucially for Spurs, a much more valuable asset.

Tottenham had signed him from Middlesbrough in July 2022 in a £19 million deal, structured with various add-ons tied to international milestones. One of those was triggered when he made his England debut in September 2025, with sources indicating a £1m payment went back to Boro. A year later, his surprise inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad and subsequent performances pushed his price into Inter’s range.

Spence has already sampled Serie A once, spending six months on loan at Genoa in 2024. This time he returns as a full international and a key piece in a side aiming to defend its title and make a deeper run in Europe.

Spurs reshape the back line

While Spence heads to Milan, Tottenham’s defence is undergoing a sharp and sudden renovation.

Hours before his move was confirmed, Spurs announced that club captain Cristian Romero had completed his transfer to Atlético Madrid, stripping De Zerbi of his most influential centre-back and dressing-room leader in one hit.

On the opposite flank, Spurs have already moved to add experience, bringing in Andy Robertson on a free transfer after his Liverpool exit. The Scotland international is expected to compete hard with Destiny Udogie for the left-back role, fitness permitting after Udogie’s difficult preseason.

The picture is stark: Porro anointed on the right, Robertson arriving on the left, Romero gone, Spence cashed in. A defensive unit that helped deliver European silverware in Bilbao is being broken up and rebuilt at speed.

For Spence, the timing feels perfect. For Tottenham, the gamble is clear. They have banked a significant fee for a defender whose stock may never be higher. Inter, meanwhile, believe they have secured a World Cup-hardened replacement for Dumfries, entering his prime and hungry for another defining European night.

The chapter in north London is closed. The next one begins under the floodlights of San Siro.