Tottenham Hotspur has a sensational talent in their ranks.
That’s the opinion of former Liverpool and Aston Villa forward Stan Collymore, who believes Micky van de Ven is an exceptional signing and a player that could attract interest from two of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Not only has van de Ven, 22, been a fantastic acquisition for Ange Postecoglou, but with the defender now officially the fastest player in Premier League history, the buzz surrounding the Dutchman is growing week by week.
“All the chatter about him right now is centered around his lightning speed on the pitch, as he became the fastest player ever to feature in the Premier League, clocking in at 37.38km/h against Brentford last month – it’s mind-blowing!” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“[…] But beyond his pace, Van de Ven appears to be an outstanding signing. Credit to Spurs’ recruitment team because even though he missed a significant portion of the season due to injury, he seems destined to be one of the standout signings of the campaign.”
Having quickly become a fan favorite at Spurs, the 22-year-old, who arrived from Wolfsburg in the summer, is undoubtedly one of Postecoglou’s key players, as demonstrated by his “Man of the Match” performance in the 2-2 draw against Everton last weekend. Without the Dutchman, Spurs could have easily lost the game, raising doubts about their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
“He possesses exceptional positional awareness and appears to be a strong leader who communicates and organizes the defense,” he added.
“There’s no doubt that without van de Ven, Ange Postecoglou wouldn’t be able to implement his preferred style of play. The high defensive line wouldn’t be effective without a player capable of making such impressive recovery runs and tackles like van de Ven, so his arrival has completely transformed a crucial aspect of Spurs’ game.”
Looking ahead to the future, Collymore believes that two of Europe’s elite clubs will be vying for van de Ven’s signature within the next two seasons. Consequently, he urges the club to initiate contract negotiations, despite the center-back only signing seven months ago.
“I believe Spurs’ main concern will be retaining him in the long term,” he added.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Real Madrid or Manchester City make a move for him in a year or two – they probably already have their eyes on him. Daniel Levy should already be preparing a new contract that includes a clause to prevent the club from losing a player who appears to be their most valuable asset.”
Since joining Tottenham, van de Ven, who still has five years remaining on his current deal, has scored one goal in his first 16 appearances across all competitions.
According to the Source caughtoffside.com