Michael Owen is surprised Spurs were allowed a free run at signing 23-year-old
Michael Owen has admitted that he is quite surprised that Tottenham Hotspur were able to land Micky van de Ven relatively unopposed last summer, given the attributes that the Dutchman possesses.
In the history of the Premier League, not a lot of centre-backs have caught the eye since day one in the division but that is exactly what Van de Ven has done, with the 23-year-old looking completely comfortable with the intensity, physicality and pace of the division from day one.
Going back to last summer, the centre-back was still very much an unknown quantity for most English football fans, having had just one full season at the top level with Wolfsburg.
In fact, some Tottenham supporters were even upset that the club decided to pursue the Netherlands international over Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, who was also mooted as a top target for the Lilywhites at the time.
However, it is fair to say that a year into Van de Ven’s stint in N17, almost no Spurs fan would not swap him for any other centre-back in world football.
How did Tottenham get Micky Van de Ven unopposed?
Part of the reason for that is that the defender is uniquely suited to Ange Postecoglou’s system, given the raw pace he possesses and Owen admitted that the way he eats up ground while running back is almost a cheat code for Spurs.
When asked about Van de Ven, the former Liverpool striker told Premier League Productions (14/05/24 at 7:25 pm): “I am surprised they had very little competition in getting his signature. Definitely (one of the signings of the season).
“He’s almost the future of the club as well, isn’t he?! It’s amazing. When you are fast, it’s great to be able to show everybody. It’s the way Tottenham play as well that enables him to show off that pace. A lot of the time, he is left one-v-one to chase these balls down and those that go over the top.
“It’s interesting looking at things like this (on van de Ven topping the speed charts). Seeing what other fast players there are. He is in the top two (fastest speeds recorded). When his legs get going, it’s very, very difficult to stop.
“I always think the speed on the football pitch is little darting runs. Ten yards and 20 yards. But Tottenham play such a high line that his running stats are over 30-40 meters. He really gets his legs going. You can understand why he is top and second on that speed list. I would love to see him in a race with Kyle Walker.”
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There is no doubt that a few Premier League clubs would be kicking themselves at the fact that they did not take a punt on Van de Ven. The Tottenham recruitment team and Postecoglou deserve a lot of credit for identifying him as someone who would thrive in our system.
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