The ex-Chelsea star has called for his former club to complete a shock summer signing
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Joe Cole has called for Chelsea to steal a player from London rivals Tottenham Hotspur this summer, with the two clubs going in opposite directions in the Premier League this season.
The Blues have endured a tough run of form of late but have their sights set on Champions League qualification under Liam Rosenior, after they were dumped out of the competition with a whimper at the hands of PSG in midweek. Spurs, meanwhile, are embroiled in a relegation battle but showed promising signs in midweek as they beat Atletico Madrid in their last 16 second leg but were also eliminated from the competition on aggregate.
Very rarely does a player swap Tottenham for Stamford Bridge but according to Cole, a three-time Premier League title winner with the Blues, the west London outfit should launch a shock raid on their rivals for one of their top stars this summer.
Joe Cole says Chelsea should sign Micky van de Ven this summer
Speaking on the Dressing Room podcast, Cole called for Chelsea to sign Micky van de Ven from Spurs this summer – naming the Dutch centre-back as the one player he would steal from another team if given the choice.
Cole said: “Micky van de Ven from Tottenham. I think he’s looking like he wants to leave and I think he would be a brilliant addition for Chelsea. They want to play that high line and you need a defender with pace and, you know, a good one-on-one defender. He’s brilliant.”
While it would be a bold call for Chelsea to go in one of their bitter rivals’ star players this summer, it reflects a reality that Van de Ven is highly unlikely to stay in north London if Spurs go down and might seek a big move this summer regardless of the outcome of the Lilywhites’ season. The £35million 2023 signing has been accused by some of ‘downing tools’ in recent weeks and made high-profile errors in recent defeats to Crystal Palace and Atletico Madrid, but looks set to be in high demand this summer amid previous links with Liverpool and Real Madrid.
A new centre-back will be high on Chelsea’s list of priorities this summer. Levi Colwill has been out all campaign with an ACL injury and Trevoh Chalobah recently joined him on the treatment table, with the futures of Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi uncertain.