Tottenham may have had a mixed first season under Ange Postecoglou, but Micky van de Ven has been the shining light in Spurs’ season.
The Dutchman has been excellent for much of the campaign so far, barring a couple of comical errors against Newcastle United, quickly becoming one of the most appreciated defenders in the Premier League.
Already the likes of Gary Lineker have heaped praise on the centre-back with comparisons being made with Virgil van Dijk, but BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has admitted he may not be at Spurs for long.
Writing in his BBC Sport Team of the Week (13 May) Crooks said: “Apart from the horror show at St James’ Park where Spurs were trounced by Newcastle and Micky van de Ven looked like he had skis on his feet instead of football boots, he’s had a flawless season.
“His finish against a Burnley side, who have spent far too much time this season indulging themselves in pretty football as opposed to being practical, was breathtakingly brilliant.
“The problem both Van de Ven and Saliba have is they are outstanding young defenders who are not currently winning any trophies and should that continue they won’t be at either club for very much longer.”
Will Tottenham keep Micky van de Ven in the summer transfer window?
The 23-year-old was exceptional in the Lilywhites’ win over Burnley last time out as he not only defended excellently but finished like a striker when in front of the goal.
According to Fotmob, Van de Ven’s goal only possessed an xG of 0.10 as he calmly slotted in from the edge of the penalty area with his left foot to secure all three points for Postecoglou’s side.
As Crooks suggested, the Dutchman very rarely put a foot wrong in possession as he completed 94 per cent of his 49 attempted passes in Saturday’s (11 May) 2-1 win, three of which found a teammate in the final third.
On top of that, the Spurs defender showed that he is more than willing to carry the ball out of defence and drive into the middle of the park as he completed 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles in the contest.
Few centre-backs in the Premier League are as effective in possession as Van de Ven.
When compared to his peers in the division, the 23-year-old places in the 98th percentile for average pass completion percentage per 90 minutes, with an incredible average of 94.5 per cent, according to Fbref.
In addition, the former Wolfsburg man places in the top five per cent of defenders for successful take-ons completed per match, averaging 0.58 in every 90 minutes of football.
Out of possession, the Tottenham star isn’t any slouch either and against Burnley he managed to win 100 per cent of the tackles he entered in the game while also making an impressive seven ball recoveries.
Similarly, Van de Ven came away with possession in 100 per cent of his ground duels and made a single block, all without committing a single foul as he and Cristian Romero marshalled Lyle Foster well for much of the match.
Like his fellow countrymen Van Dijk, the Spurs gem is quickly becoming one of the league’s best tacklers, in fact, he actually places in the top 10 per cent of centre-backs for tackles won per game.
So far this term, the Dutch defender has tackled 73.3 per cent of players who have tried to dribble past him and only lost a challenge once every three games, a record better than 74 per cent of defenders.
Will Spurs and Ange Postecoglou qualify for the Champions League this season?
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou looking exasperated.
Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham appear set to miss out on the Champions League
While it is excellent for Postecoglou to have such a reliable presence at the heart of his back four, other teams will be taking note of Van de Ven’s remarkable displays for Spurs.
With Champions League football quite quickly slipping away from the Lilywhites, the Dutchman may well have aspirations to move on and play at the top level sooner rather than later.
It feels almost inevitable that Spurs will lose the 23-year-old unless they quickly turn their fortunes around and get back into Europe’s premier competition.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs have been told that they “have to sell” a trio of midfielders following a new admission from Postecoglou
