Tottenham in talks with Wolfsburg for Dutch defender Micky van de Ven – Fabrizio Romano
By Dan Lewis
Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Wolfsburg over a move for Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven, according to football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Netherlands Under-21 international, a regular at the back for Wolfsburg last season, has also been linked with a move to Tottenham’s Premier League rivals Liverpool [Goal].
Romano suggested on his personal Twitter account (28 June) that Van de Ven is among new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou’s top targets, and a verbal proposal is now set to be submitted, with the 22-year-old eager to make the switch.
A price worth paying
Only five teams in the Premier League conceded more goals than Tottenham last season, highlighting their need to strengthen at the back following Postecoglou’s appointment.
While Clement Lenglet hardly lit up the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, his return to parent club Barcelona further heightens the need for at least one new option at the back.
Van de Ven could be the ideal signing for Postecoglou on the basis of last season, while his ability to play at left-back – where he featured four times in 2022-23, as per WhoScored – is an added bonus.
The Wormer native more than held his own at the back for Wolfsburg last season en route to an eighth-place finish in the Bundesliga, with his performances in the first half of the campaign earning him a place in the Netherlands’ extended preliminary squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Van de Ven ranks in the top seven per cent of all centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, as per FBref, which shows his ability to bring the ball out from the back – a trait that Postecoglou can take full advantage of.
After a period of stagnation with Eric Dier at the back, it may be that Van de Ven provides much-needed freshness alongside Cristian Romero, assuming the new man in charge continues with the same 4-3-3 formation he favoured at Celtic [The Athletic].
The reported €30million (£26m) Wolfsburg are holding out for may seem slightly inflated given Van de Ven has only one season of regular top-flight football under his belt, but given their desperation for a ball-playing defender, it may just prove to be a price worth paying for Spurs.
In other Tottenham news, the stats have revealed another central defender from Serie A that the club should avoid.