Tony Cascarino has admitted that he has been surprised by how well Micky van de Ven has done since his switch to Tottenham in the summer.
Spurs reportedly paid £43m to sign Van de Ven from Wolfsburg in the summer, and some eyebrows might have been raised at the time, given that the centre-back had only had one good season in the Bundesliga.
In fact, it is fair to say that many Tottenham fans would have preferred Bayern Leverkusen’s Edmond Topsoba over the Dutchman, with the Burkina Faso international widely reported to be the other name at the top of the North London club’s radar (GiveMeSport).
However, Van de Ven has hardly put a foot wrong since arriving in N17, having formed a solid partnership at the back with Cristian Romero.
The 22-year-old netted his first goal for Tottenham on Sunday, which proved the difference between the Lilywhites and Luton Town.
LUTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 07: Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur at Kenilworth Road on October 07, 2023 in Luton, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
Van de Ven has taken to PL life like a duck to water
Speaking after Spurs’ win at Kenilworth Road, Cascarino told talkSPORT: “Van de Ven has been a real big surprise. I say surprise because obviously you’ve got to give the credit to the football club for the recruitment that’s been made to bring him in.
“Most people know he was known as the quickest defender in German football with Wolfsburg. With that, he’s a talented boy on the ball. He looks incredibly assured.
“He reminds me of what Botman did at Newcastle. When Newcastle bought Sven Botman, he looked like [he had] a real, immediate effect on the team.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Van de Ven was not exactly an unknown in the summer but a lot of sides were hesitant to pay a big fee for a player who had just one good season in Germany.
Tottenham’s recruitment team and Postecoglou deserve a lot of credit as they clearly saw something in the 22-year-old that convinced them to take a punt.
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