Ange Postecoglou recently admitted Tottenham Hotspur are on the hunt for a centre-back and the Lilwhites have been linked with Edmond Tapsoba, Gleison Bremer, Levi Colwill, Harry Maguire, Victor Nelsson and Clement Lenglet, but Fabrizio Romano says they’re negotiating a deal for Micky van de Ven.
The 22-year-old joined Vfl Wolfsburg from FC Volendam in 2021 and has gone on to make 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal with three assists. Van de Ven has been a regular at the Volkswagen Arena, missing just one game all last season, but he isn’t Spurs’ first choice.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: ‘Tottenham also have an interest in Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven, as they have a strategy of negotiating with a few different players before attacking the target they really want. The issue is Tapsoba is more expensive than Van de Ven.’
Spurs may have to pay up to £50m for Tapsoba while Van de Ven could be available for £30m this summer. Both are young talented defenders in the Bundesliga who would shore up Spurs’ backline after last season’s disappointment, but it remains to be seen which one will be signed.
Strengthen
Only five teams had a better defence in the league than Van de Ven’s Wolfsburg (48 goals conceded). The Netherlands U21 international boasted more tackles per game (1.4) than Davinson Sanchez (1.3), Eric Dier (0.9) and Japhet Tanganga (0.8) too, so he’d be a good addition if they can’t land Tapsoba.
After conceding a staggering 63 goals from 38 Premier League games in 2022/23, Postecoglou had no choice but to make changes to his defence. Davinson Sanchez looked set to sign for Spartak Moscow before getting cold feet in moving to Russia, but it’s clear he’s still surplus to requirements.
Joe Rodon spent last season out on loan while Japhet Tanganga struggled for playing time, so they’re players with uncertain futures. Postecoglou is sure to sell at least one existing defender to make way for a new arrival, so time will tell who gets the chop.
Parting company with an out-of-favour player also means Spurs will generate money that can go towards the replacement.
