Tottenham close in on Bundesliga defender praised for ‘extreme speed’
By Evan Curnew
Tottenham are in search of a natural left centre-back after the club decided against signing Clement Lenglet permanently. The club also has Ben Davies, who is more than capable of playing as a centre-back, but Spurs desperately need an upgrade at the position. It’s now Ange Postecoglou’s team, and the Australian looks to have found a new centre-back to pair alongside Cristian Romero.
Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Tottenham is closing in on the signing of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg. The negotiators are described as being advanced, and a deal should be finalized soon. Romano also states that personal terms between van de Ven and Tottenham are agreed.
Micky van de Ven looks like he is exactly what Tottenham needs to pair with the defensive rock that is Cristian Romero. At 6’3″, van de Ven is a lanky centre-back who is best known for his aerial ability and speed. This speed allows the Dutchman to progress up the field quite often and shrug off defenders with his natural physicality.
Last season in the Bundesliga, van de Ven ranked as the fastest centre-back in the league, topping out at 35.97 km/h. It also ranked him as the ninth-fastest player in the league. Wolfsburg director Marcel Shafer described van de Ven as someone with “extreme speed.”
Micky van de Ven came through the ranks of the Eredivisie side Volendam, but they were in the Eerste Divisie when he played for the Dutch side. Now after two seasons in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, van de Ven will be heading into the Premier League spotlight. The Top Flight had reported Liverpool was linked to Micky van de Ven, mainly because former Wolfsburg sporting director Jorg Schmadtke had joined the Reds. That ship has sailed, and the Netherlands U21 international has his sights set on North London.