The Aston Villa icon has tipped Micky van de Ven to leave Tottenham.
An Aston Villa legend has urged Micky van de Ven to snub a contract extension at Tottenham in favour of a move to a bigger club, with Liverpool and Manchester City both linked with the Dutch defender.
Van de Ven has again been the bright spark in what has been another frustrating season for Tottenham, establishing himself as the club’s most consistent performer despite their struggles.
However, Tottenham are keen to tie down the fan favourite amid reports that the defender has become frustrated by the current situation at the club and wants to see more ambition before committing his future. Liverpool are understood to be tracking Van de Ven, who has netted six times since Thomas Frank’s arrival as boss in the summer.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Gabriel Agbonlahor delivered a blunt assessment of Van de Ven’s situation. He said:
“I feel sorry for him in the sense that he deserves to be playing at a bigger club. He won’t stay at Spurs. Don’t sign a new deal there, Van de Ven. You deserve better than Spurs.”
Agbonlahor’s broadcast partner Alan Brazil agreed before suggesting Manchester City as another possible destination:
“For me, he is the one I’d be buying. I bet his agent is driving him mad. I think he could just slot in at Man City.”
Agbonlahor replied:
“100 per cent, straight away.”
Tensions boiling over at Spurs
The comments come after Van de Ven became embroiled in a heated exchange with fans following the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth last week. His relationship with Frank was also called into question when he appeared to ignore a handshake from the Spurs boss after the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in November.
The 24-year-old has quickly become a dressing-room leader and was handed the captain’s armband in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace last month. However, tensions are clearly mounting as Tottenham’s season spirals out of control.
Should Van de Ven opt against signing a new deal, Spurs are expected to command a huge fee for their biggest squad asset. The club will want to avoid a Harry Kane-style contract saga that saw the striker leave for Bayern Munich after years of speculation.
Tottenham have made a blistering start to the January transfer window with the signing of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid and the imminent arrival of Brazilian full-back Souza from Santos. However, whether these additions prove sufficient to convince Van de Ven to stay remains questionable given the club’s current predicament.