Tottenham Hotspur have re-scheduled defender Micky van de Ven’s medical as reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano shares a transfer update.
Who will Spurs sign?
After weeks of negotiations, Spurs have finally got their hands on a star centre-back, with Van de Ven set for a move to north London.
The Dutchman looks set to join alongside goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defender Ashley Phillips, midfielder James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon as Tottenham’s fifth summer signing.
Ange Postecoglou previously admitted that his side were chasing a centre-back or two, coming after a campaign which saw Spurs leak a pretty terrible 63 league goals.
“That’s definitely our intention, absolutely,” said Postecoglou when asked about signing new defenders.
“We’ve been working on it for a while and we’ll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.
“I don’t think it’s any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.
“In terms of the other boys, we’ve got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them.”
Alongside Van de Ven, it is claimed that Spurs could move for another star defender, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba coming as the top transfer target.
Going back to Van de Ven, reliable reporter Romano says there’s been a “change” to the original plan regarding his medical.
Indeed, the 22-year-old was due to fly to London on Saturday to undergo his tests, but he will now fly in today and complete those examinations on Monday instead.
“Tottenham update,” said Romano on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Micky van de Ven will fly to London on Sunday with small change to original plan. THFC Medical tests booked on Monday. Deal done and set to be announced early next week.”
How good is Micky Van de Ven?
Van de Ven is an elite-level ball-playing defender, with no other Wolfsburg player averaging a higher passing accuracy per 90 than the Netherlands international last season (WhoScored).
He was an indispensable member of Niko Kovac’s starting eleven also, having played more Bundesliga minutes than any other Wolfsburg outfielder last term (WhoScored).
The Bundesliga website, praising Van de Ven for his speed and physical attributes, have also called him a “nightmare” for defenders.
They wrote:
“Van de Ven can be a nightmare for attacking players with his immense strength, determination and precision tackling scuppering the most promising of forward moves.
“With incredible pace and passing ability among his many assets, the Netherlands U21 international – who captained his country at the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship – is on course to become a regular for the senior Oranje in the near future.”
Meanwhile, Kovac has been effusive in his praise for the exciting centre-half, calling him “really good” whilst hailing his “extraordinary” form.
“Micky is a great boy [and] a really good footballer,” said Kovac.
“What he’s showing at the moment is extraordinary.”
As Postecoglou seeks to reinforce his backline, there is little question Van de Ven could prove to be a brilliant capture.
