Micky van de Ven is drawing plenty of interest from other clubs, even though he only signed a new deal at Tottenham in the summer and was made club captain.
Liverpool were first reported last month to be eyeing him as a successor to Virgil van Dijk, who is expected to leave Anfield when his contract expires next summer. That report added that the Reds hoped Spurs’ poor start to the season might tempt the 25-year-old to move. Manchester United have since been linked as well, with the Old Trafford side keen to spend big on rebuilding their defence.
The word from north London, however, is that Spurs will not entertain offers for the centre-back and are relaxed about the situation, having recently tied him to a five-year contract.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider that it is far too soon for Van de Ven to have a change of heart about the project, given he committed to it only a few months ago. He said the defender had been weighing up his future before Roberto De Zerbi arrived last March, and that the manager played a key part in convincing him to stay. O’Rourke accepted that Tottenham’s start has been poor, but did not think it would greatly affect the player’s thinking, as Van de Ven will be confident the team can turn things around.
Football Insider sources also claim he is happy at the club and has no plans to look at an exit in January.
On the injury front, Spurs were dealt a blow on Sunday when Van de Ven joined countryman Jan Paul van Hecke on the treatment table, after going off in the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Serbia. Over the last few hours, though, it has been reported that neither centre-back’s problem is serious, which will be a relief to fans. Neither has been ruled out of Saturday’s trip to Old Trafford.
