Ange Postecoglou has said that he is extremely pleased with Tottenham’s capture of Micky van de Ven, stating that Dutchman is a perfect fit for the profile of centre-back he wanted this summer.
Ahead of the transfer window, it was quite evident that central defence was one of Tottenham’s priority areas to strengthen and many Spurs fans had become frustrated at the club’s lack of urgency in addressing the position.
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With just days left until the start of the campaign, the Lilywhites have now finally brought a central defender through the door, with Van de Ven’s arrival being officially confirmed on Tuesday.
According to reports, Tottenham have agreed on a deal worth £43m including add-ons with Wolfsburg for the 22-year-old, who set the Bundesliga alight in his first full season in Germany last time out.
Postecoglou seems over the moon with Van de Ven
Postecoglou admitted that the Dutchman ticks plenty of boxes for Spurs and that the club view him as a long-term option.
The Australian told Football.London about Van de Ven’s arrival: “We’re really pleased to get them into the squad. Micky van de Ven we’ve been on to for a while. Just a great profile for a centre-back particularly for the way we want to play.
“Physically he’s quite commanding and he’s got a real presence about him. He’s a left-sided centre-back which helps in the structure of the team.
“Really ambitious young man. He’s only had a year in the Bundesliga. He was at Volendam before that. It’s not like he was at a big club before that. He’s making strides and hopefully, this jump is another one with which we see him really develop.
“For us, he’s one not just for this year but for the long term that we felt can become a really important part of our team and will be a really excellent defender for us.”
The Netherlands Under-21 international was not the only player to arrive through the door at Hotspur Way on Tuesday, with Spurs also confirming the capture of Argentine starlet Alejo Veliz.
When asked about the 19-year-old, Postecoglou responded: “With young Veliz, he’s one we identified and he’s got a lot of talent for a youngster. He’s got a great profile.
“He’s a big guy but he’s very mobile and he works hard. He’s already made an impact in the Argentine first division and again good to have him in.”
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While Postecoglou’s answer about Veliz is quite generic, the detail with which he spoke about Van de Ven suggests that the Australian personally pushed for the Dutch centre-back’s signing. The 22-year-old certainly seems to have the attributes to thrive in Tottenham’s current system.
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