Tottenham Hotspur have been advised to play barely-seen summer signing Djed Spence after their north London derby defeat to Arsenal.

The Lowdown: Spurs taste first league defeat...

Spurs tasted their first loss of the 2022/23 Premier League season on Saturday as Antonio Conte's side fell to a 3-1 defeat away to their arch rivals. Goals from Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka cancelled out Harry Kane's strike for the visitors on an afternoon to forget for the Lilywhites.

Another Fabio Paratici signing in Emerson Royal was given his marching orders for a studs-up challenge on Gabriel Martinelli, prompting some debate as to whether he is indeed good enough to thrive as a Conte wing-back.

The Brazilian's sending off was arguably a major turning point of the game and potentially killed it off for Spurs, who were still well in the contest up until that point.

The Latest: Roberts backs Spence to start...

Taking to social media, Tottenham legend Graham Roberts has explained exactly why Conte should turn to barely-used summer acquisition Spence in Royal's stead.

He tweeted"We have to play Spence at right back, last season he was fantastic, he’s better than the others, give him a chance."

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The Verdict: Right move?

The former Championship starlet was a key member of Nottingham Forest's promotion-winning squad last season whilst on loan at the City Ground from Middlesbrough.

Spence played the sixth-most minutes out of any Reds player over 2021/22, becoming a real mainstay under Steve Cooper with some impressive performances.

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A highly attacking full-back, the 22-year-old ranked in Forest's top five players for key passes made and completed dribbles per 90, whilst also finishing the campaign as their sixth-best performer overall (WhoScored).

However, since signing for Tottenham, Conte has hardly used him at all, playing Spence for a solitary minute in the Premier League and not utilising him so far in the Champions League.

Is it now time to give the Englishman a fair shot at the first team? The manager's hand may well be forced considering that Royal now faces a suspension.