Wolverhampton Wanderers are eyeing up a move for a Premier League defender as Julen Lopetegui aims to strengthen his squad this month…

What’s the news?

According to the Mirror (08/01, page 77), Wolves are interested in Tottenham Hotspur right-back Djed Spence, along with Southampton and Brentford as they are all vying to sign the player on loan for the rest of the season.

He is open to leaving Spurs, who he joined last summer for £20m, in order to get more game time and a loan move appears to be the most logical solution.

Spence has barely featured in the Premier League this season, playing a grand total of five minutes across 19 matches.

Finally bin Semedo

A move for Spence could allow the Spaniard to finally ditch Nelson Semedo, with the Portuguese right-back enduring a woeful campaign so far.

Across 16 league appearances, the 29-year-old has an average Sofascore rating of 6.60/10, which ranks him a lowly 18th in the Wolves squad, underlining how poor his performances have actually been.

Semedo ranks fifth for tackles made, tenth for interceptions, and seventh for clearances made in the league this season for his club, while his disciplinary record has been extremely poor, receiving four yellow cards and one red card in his 16 matches.

Although it hasn’t quite worked out for Spence this campaign, the £25k-per-week star was an integral part of Nottingham Forest’s side last season.

The 22-year-old was outstanding in the Championship, registering seven goal contributions during his loan spell while making 1.0 key passes, creating six big chances, and taking 0.6 shots per match, underlining his attacking threat from a right-back role.

Antonio Conte signed the defender last summer and he was expected to shine in the Italian’s system, however, the move hasn’t allowed the 22-year-old to perform to his potential in the top flight.

A move to Wolves could ensure Spence was a regular starter, as he could replace Semedo from the start, something that would no doubt only boost his confidence heading into the second half of the campaign.

Martin Keown dubbed the defender a “Rolls-Royce” last season and with his excellent attacking capabilities and fantastic engine, Lopetegui could bring him back to the form he displayed when leading Forest to victory in the playoff final last year.