Micky van de Ven is close to agreeing a new long-term contract with Tottenham Hotspur.
While nothing is yet signed, the 25-year-old is on the verge of joining teammates Pedro Porro and Antonin Kinsky in committing his future to the north London club this summer.
The Athletic reported in December that Tottenham wanted to tie the centre-back to a new and improved long-term deal, which at the time was seen to be more important than any new transfer if completed. His existing contract is set to expire in 2029.
The Netherlands international joined Tottenham from Wolfsburg in a deal worth £43million (€50m) including add-ons in August 2023.
Van de Ven has made 96 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, scoring 10 times, despite hamstring issues disrupting his 2024-25 campaign.
He featured 45 times in all competitions last season as Spurs avoided relegation, with their bid to survive the drop going down to the final day of the campaign.
Tottenham have brought in two new additions at centre-back this summer, with Marco Senesi joining on a free transfer following the conclusion of his Bournemouth contract and Jan Paul van Hecke arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £52m move. Defender Luka Vuskovic, meanwhile, departed to Brighton for £46m and the future of captain Cristian Romero is uncertain.
Ven de Ven has also made 24 senior international appearances and was part of the Netherlands squad at this summer’s World Cup. He played three times as Ronald Koeman’s side were eliminated in the last-32 by Morocco.
The De Zerbi factor pays off
Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris
Roberto De Zerbi’s charm offensive has paid off. From the moment he took over as Spurs’ head coach in March, the Italian spoke glowingly in public about Micky van de Ven and described the Netherlands international as the best left-sided centre-back in the Premier League, despite his struggles last season.
Kind words help but Van de Ven must have seen enough evidence in the last couple of months to suggest Spurs have truly started a new era under De Zerbi. During their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, the defender spoke about how Spurs’ style of play will be different next season.
“It’s going to be more with the ball, I think, more about playing football,” Van de Ven said in quotes carried by the BBC. “I think it’s also going to be more enjoyable for people to watch because we’ll be playing offensive football.
“You can see he (De Zerbi) has brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot in terms of mentality and passion on the pitch.”
De Zerbi has clearly convinced Van de Ven he can fulfill his potential at Spurs and restore them to the top half of the division. The 25-year-old is not the only key player to agree to a new contract. Pedro Porro signed a new long-term deal in June despite interest from Real Madrid.
Spurs have grabbed a lot of attention for breaking their transfer record twice to sign Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from West Ham United and Newcastle United respectively, but it is arguably equally impressive to tie down two of their best players after a season where they came narrowly close to being relegated.
Van de Ven will face extra competition next season from Marcos Senesi, who arrived from Bournemouth on a free transfer earlier this summer, but can look forward to playing alongside his international team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke following his move from Brighton & Hove Albion. With Cristian Romero expected to leave before the window closes, Van de Ven could be a candidate for the captaincy.
When Van de Ven is happy and fully fit, he is a nightmare for opposition strikers to deal with. This new deal reflects his status as one of the cornerstones of De Zerbi’s exciting Spurs side.
