Tottenham News Scout: Micky van de Ven would be a brilliant signing for Tottenham
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome Matthew Chadder as our exclusive columnist for our ‘Spurs Scout’ features. Each week, he’ll be providing his expertise on researching players to give insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
Tottenham look set to transform their defence this summer under Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou will need to revamp his defensive backline this summer in order to have the best chance of success with the club.
The Australian coach is likely to implement a 4-3-3 upon his arrival in North London, which is much different to the back-five fans would have become accustomed to seeing under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Therefore the 57-year-old will need players who can operate within his system – something which Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez will not be able to do.
Ben Davies, 30, is a left-back by trade and has been operating on the left side of a back three often pushing high. It is therefore hard to see the Welshman working successfully in a back two. Eric Dier, 29, and Davinson Sanchez, 27, meanwhile are simply just not good enough and need replacing.
And it seems as if Daniel Levy is set to go shopping in the Bundesliga. The club have so far been linked with Edmond Tapsoba and could now potentially make a move for Micky van de Ven.
That is according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano who tweeted (24 June), “Tottenham have included Micky van de Ven on their shortlist for the new centre back alongside Edmond Tapsoba as both are appreciated by the club.”
According to Romano, “Talks already took place for Wolfsburg’s Dutch centre-back represented by team Raiola.”
Here, Spurs Scout will have a look at van de Ven and determine whether he would be the right fit for Tottenham and what fans can expect.
Superpower – Comfortable going forward
Postecoglou needs defenders who can step into the midfield and squeeze the opposition. This is something van de Ven is certainly comfortable with.
As per stats provided by FBREF, over the past year, the Dutch defender was in the top ten per cent of defenders in Europe for progressive carries (1.30 per 90), the top ten per cent for carries into the final third (1.03 per 90) and the top three per cent for carries into the penalty area (0.15).
The 22-year-old is also particularly impressive at beating his man when he does move forward, ranking in the top six per cent of European defenders for the number of take-ons he attempted (0.97 per 90) and was usually effective, placing in the top seven per cent for successful take-ons (0.58) per 90.
His comfort in midfield is demonstrated by the number of touches he makes, with the centre-back making almost as many touches in the midfield third (28.33 per 90) as the defensive third (29.73 per 90).
The graph clearly demonstrates that van de Ven is far more comfortable than Spurs’ current centre-back options pushing into midfield but not only is he more comfortable, he is much better at taking on his man in the process.
Weakness – Defensive fragility
Although van de Ven’s possession stats will leave fans feeling excited, his defensive metrics aren’t as promising by any stretch of the imagination.
The Wolfsburg defender only made 1.36 tackles per 90 last season which left him in just the 43rd percentile and would only win 0.91 of those tackles per 90, leaving him in the 50th percentile.
As well as this his 0.79 interceptions per 90 left him in the 13th percentile of European defenders with his 3.27 clearances per 90 leaving him in the 31st percentile.
However, while these defensive numbers seem concerning on paper, with the player still just 22 years old, there is plenty of time to improve and fans should not write him off based on these statistics at all.
How much will van de Ven cost?
The most important question for Daniel Levy and the board will be how much will the player cost to bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And a recent report suggests that the Spurs hierarchy will not have to break the bank to land their man.
According to a report by Sports Witness (20 June), Liverpool are also very much in the race for van de Ven with a pricetag having been revealed for the Premier League clubs’ target of around £26million.
That is more than affordable for Tottenham who are not known for paying above and beyond for new players.
Where would van de Ven fit in at Tottenham?
The Dutch central defender would be a terrific fit at Tottenham.
As a left-footed defender, he has operated mostly as a left-sided centre-back this season, which is a position that Spurs desperately need filling with Cristian Romero able to play on the right-hand side.
What is also worth mentioning is the Wolfsburg man’s versatility. At times this season, he has played as a left-back and is capable of slotting in and doing a job in this position.
This would make him a perfect fit for Postecoglou’s system with the former Celtic boss preferring to utilise a defensive left-back alongside an attacking right-back.
Should Tottenham sign van de Ven?
Spurs should absolutely be looking to secure the services of the young defender this summer.
With Liverpool also interested that may make things tricky, however, there is no reason why the club can’t compete with the Reds and rival them for van de Ven’s signature.
At the age of 22, he has already shown promising signs and has the potential to truly flourish into a top player, especially in Postecoglou’s system which he would fit down to a tee.