Tottenham Hotspur have once again been named in the race for defensive reinforcements…
What's the latest on Micky Van de Ven to Tottenham Hotspur?
This latest reference comes from Fabrizio Romano, who actually sought to update fans on the transfer progress of their rivals Arsenal.
Despite the bulk of his tweet applying to the Gunners' pursuit of Jurrien Timber, the Italian journalist's final line actually discounts them from the race for Micky van de Ven and instead credits the Lilywhites as an interested party. He wrote: "No confirmation on Micky van de Ven; he's not in Arsenal list, he's on Tottenham list."
It is expected that Wolfsburg will command a fee of around €30m (£26m) to sanction the exit of their top Dutch defender.
How good is Micky Van de Ven?
For a couple of years now Spurs have been blessed with the defensive excellence of Cristian Romero, but no partner to equal his levels.
The Argentina international has been the club's highest-performing defender ever since he joined in 2021, yet has retained a reckless nature that let his side down on occasion. His foolish red card in their Champions League exit to AC Milan acts as a microcosm for the man who has accumulated 17 yellow cards and one dismissal across just two Premier League seasons.
Despite this, his first year in north London saw him truly shine. Maintaining a 7.15 average rating, this figure was bolstered massively by his 87% pass accuracy, 1.5 interceptions, 2.8 tackles and 3.3 clearances per game, via Sofascore. It was no surprise that this was the campaign he was joined by Davinson Sanchez, who posted an impressive 7.08 average rating of his own.
When he wants to be, the 25-year-old is arguably one of the league's most dominant centre-backs.
To now pair him with a dependable asset such as Van de Ven could help elevate him to new levels, calming him down and perhaps allowing him to explore his creative side too.
After all, the 22-year-old has proven himself a dependable asset in the German top flight and only has managed five yellow cards during his time in that division. This reliability is aided by the 1.4 tackles and 3.1 clearances per game he recorded last year in the league, as part of a defence that kept 11 clean sheets, via Sofascore.
Such imperious form even led journalist Ronan Murphy to write: "Van de Ven’s performances for Wolfsburg this season have him knocking on the door of the Netherlands international team. A giant on the pitch, he’s flourishing under head coach Niko Kovac."
Perhaps a switch to England could give Ange Postecoglou the dream backline he likely desires, and help skyrocket his top defender to new heights.