Tottenham ace Micky van de Ven sets all-time Premier League record
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has officially become the fastest player on record in Premier League history.
Suddenly, the fee that was paid to bring van de Ven from the Bundesliga to the Premier League looks like something of a bargain.
When Daniel Levy sanctioned a £43.5million move to sign the 22-year-old from Wolfsburg (Sky Sports News, 8 August 2023), very few Spurs supporters had likely seen the Dutchman in action.
However, since arriving at Hotspur Way, van de Ven has quickly become a key player for Ange Postecoglou.
Having faced a serious injury setback which kept him out of action for more than two months, van de Ven recently returned to the Spurs starting lineup in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 14 January.
There were fears that van de Ven could perhaps reaggravate his injury, but so far the centre-back has put all of those doubts to rest and looks back to his best.
Premier League record
Since it was van de Ven’s hamstring which was injured in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday 6 November, many might have been worried that the speedy Dutch international could have lost some of that blistering pace.
However, those Spurs supporters did not need to worry, with the defender looking faster than ever since making his return as he set a brand-new all-time Premier League record.
When Tottenham beat Brentford 3-2 on Wednesday 31 January, van de Ven reached an astonishing top speed of 37.38 km/h, a record in the Premier League since the data started being collected in 2020/21 (Premier League Official Website, 6 February).
He overtook former Spurs man Kyle Walker who had set the previous record when the full-back reached a top speed of 37.31km/h against Everton last season (14 May 2023).
It is a top speed comparable with sprinter Usain Bolt’s current 100m world record which was set in 2009.
When the Jamaican set that record, his average speed was 10.44m per second or 23.35mph. Against the Bees, van de Ven reached a speed of 10.38m per second or 23.23mph.
It wasn’t just his speed which would have caught the eye against Thomas Frank’s men, as the central defender also registered a passing accuracy of 98 per cent, made three clearances, two tackles and one interception (Sofascore).
He was arguably even more impressive during the 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday 3 February.
Although Spurs failed to leave with all three points, van de Ven could leave the pitch with his head held high as he made one last-man tackle, won three of his four ground duels and made six clearances.
With plenty of years still ahead of him, in addition to the heights he is already reaching, that £43.5million fee is really beginning to look like a steal.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs expert John Wenham has been left wowed by Daniel Levy after an “absolutely incredible” development in North London.
For more exclusive Tottenham updates, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.