Tottenham star Micky van de Ven has been linked with a move to Real Madrid
Ange Postecoglou will need to think outside the box when his Tottenham Hotspur side host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Lilywhites suffered their ninth defeat of the Premier League season on Boxing Day—a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at City Ground. Following Brentford’s 0-0 draw with Brighton on Friday, they dropped to a lowly 12th in the table.
Recent results and substandard displays have seen Ange Postecoglou come under a lot of pressure at White Hart Lane. Therefore, he will be desperate to avoid a third consecutive league defeat when Wolves visit North London.
The Spurs boss is likely to be without all four of his senior centre-backs for the upcoming game after Radu Dragusin went off injured in the 87th minute against Forest. To rub more salt in the wounds, Ben Davies has been ruled out for two weeks following a setback in his recovery from a hamstring issue.
-> Postecoglou reveals return timeline for injured key Tottenham duo
Amidst Tottenham’s defensive crisis, one player has been surprisingly linked with a move to Real Madrid. According to a report from Spanish outlet Relevo, Micky van de Ven has been shortlisted by Real Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti looks to bring in cover for Eder Militao.
The Spanish champions didn’t make additions to their backline after missing out on Leny Yoro to Manchester United. With Eder Militao and David Alaba currently sidelined with injuries, the club’s decision not to invest in a new centre-back has come back to haunt them. Ancelotti has no natural centre-backs left at his disposal barring Antonio Rudiger, with his side conceding 29 goals in 26 games so far.
As a result, Madrid have started preparing a shortlist of defensive targets for the upcoming winter transfer window. The aforementioned report adds Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven has emerged as a priority target. Among Los Blancos’ other targets are Manchester City star Josko Gvardiol and RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba.
Van de Ven himself has endured a frustrating second season in North London thanks to persistent hamstring problems. The Dutchman has had three separate spells on the sidelines, missing 16 games in the process so far this term. He was a surprising inclusion in Spurs’ 4-3 defeat to Chelsea earlier this month as Big Ange felt the defender was fit enough to start the game. However, the decision royally backfired as he suffered a relapse of a hamstring injury.
When fit, Van de Ven has been one of the first names on Big Ange’s teamsheet. The Wormer-born talent’s explosive pace, reading of the game and recovery runs make Spurs a whole lot better as a unit and allow them to play the high defensive line with minimum fuss.
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The Netherlands international’s persistent injury problems remain a concern. While he is expected to return in New Year at some point, as confirmed by Big Ange, there is no way Tottenham would sanction Van de Ven’s sale in January even if Madrid are ready to pay over the odds. Instead, we should be adding a quality centre-back to Big Ange’s defensive roster.