Image Credits: Imago Images
Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is reportedly catching the eye of transfer chiefs at Liverpool FC.
When 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending ACL injury in September, it left Liverpool with only Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and the injury-prone Joe Gomez as recognised centre-back options. With Van Dijk approaching 34 and under contract only until 2027, Liverpool urgently requires a senior, first-team-ready centre-back who can provide immediate impact—not another development project.
The North London side signed the defender in the summer of 2023, when there were already links with the Anfield club at the time. The deal was worth an initial £34.5 million, rising to £43 million with add-ons, matching the club-record centre-back fee paid for Cristian Romero the previous year.
Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail has revealed that the Reds could test Spurs’ resolve in the coming summer window:
“Liverpool are developing a keen interest in Micky van de Ven which will be a test of Spurs’ resolve in the summer. Van de Ven has resisted a new contract, and it will be a big decision for a Spurs executive tier who have vowed to be better at selling. He is 24 and his current deal expires in 2029.”
On paper, Micky van de Ven represents everything modern football demands in a centre-back. The 24-year-old Netherlands international is statistically the fastest player in Premier League history, recording a blistering top speed of 37.38 km/h against Brentford—the quickest since data collection began in 2020/21. He holds three of the four fastest speeds ever recorded in the competition
However, there is one black mark against his name and that is the injury history. According to transfermarkt, van de Ven has missed 46 games through injury since his move to Spurs in 2023. That is worrisome to say the least.
For a club that has witnessed Joe Gomez’s career disrupted by recurring injuries and watched Joel Matip struggle with availability in his final years, this should represent a flashing red warning sign.
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