Van de Ven ‘to be named Tottenham captain’ after Son and Romero exit news
Micky van de Ven is becoming an increasingly important figure at Tottenham.
Van de Ven has become an indispensable member of the Spurs squad since joining from Wolfsburg in 2023 for a fee reportedly rising above £40million.
The centre-back etched his name into Tottenham folklore with his acrobatic goal-line clearance in the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United to ensure the score remained 1-0.
Van de Ven’s unique defensive contributions and athleticism, along with his ball-carrying abilities, will arguably make him the first name on Thomas Frank’s team sheet.
However, the talented defender could be set for an even more important role following the latest exit news surrounding Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero.
Son and Romero expected to leave Tottenham
Son looks set to leave Tottenham this summer after almost a decade of donning the Spurs colours in North London.
The club captain is expected to remain until the conclusion of the Lilywhites’ pre-season tour in South Korea before Daniel Levy cashes in on the 32-year-old superstar, who has one year left on his contract.
Another senior player expected to depart is Romero, with Atletico Madrid accelerating their pursuit of the World Cup winner.
The vice-captain has stood in as the skipper for Son on multiple occasions last season and was tasked with leading the team out against the Red Devils in Bilbao.
While the two players are vastly different characters, both have been huge influences in the dressing room, and their departure will leave the squad in need of new leaders.
James Maddison could be asked to step up, but his long-term future under Frank is somewhat in doubt following Spurs’ pursuit of Eberechi Eze.
As such, van de Ven could be a leading candidate to be named Tottenham captain, as the 23-year-old is well respected among his peers and looks set to be a stalwart in N17 for years to come.
Tottenham must strengthen their winning mentality
Tottenham have often been labelled as having a soft underbelly and lacking leadership, but their determination and accomplishments in the Europa League finally quashed those tags.
However, they will swiftly return if Spurs regress and miss the opportunity to use their recent trophy to fuel more success.
Frank will be determined to foster a competitive culture and will rely on players like van de Ven to ensure that they only strengthen their winning mentality.
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