So many talented players at Tottenham Hotspur have profoundly disappointed the club this season, but one of the most troubling developments over the preceding couple of months during the worst of Spurs descent into the relegation places was the uneven performances of center back Micky van de Ven.
One of the most valuable players in the squad, Van de Ven was making egregious defensive errors showing a profound lack of discipline, football IQ, and progression as an actual defender. Tottenham fans were beginning to wonder if they had significantly overrated the Dutchman's prowess, as Van de Ven was coming across as both immature and a player too reliant on his athletic gifts and not equipped enough to read the game.
But like so many players with experience at Tottenham, Van de Ven is enjoying an improvement in form and more consistency on the pitch since the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi to break the spell that Thomas Frank had on the club - a spell that Igor Tudor could not break.
Micky van de Ven sounds like a true Spur
Now, Van de Ven seems increasingly likely to stay with Tottenham Hotspur after the 2025/26 season, especially if Spurs are to complete the comeback under De Zerbi and remain in the Premier League for the 2026/27 season.
Speaking ahead of the Arsenal and West Ham matchup, which carries huge implications for Tottenham as the Hammers are their big rivals in the relegation fight, Micky van de Ven gave a response that sounds like exactly what a vice captain and a true Spur should say. Although Tottenham Hotspur might well like Arsenal to fully bottle the league to Manchester City, the priority is to say safe. But rooting for Arsenal against West Ham? That's a step too far for anyone to say, including Van de Ven.
The Dutch center back said of the Arsenal vs. West Ham game, via The Spurs Watch, Yeah, I wonât be cheering on Arsenal to be honest. I know you say Arsenal can do us a massive favour, especially for themselves, because theyâre playing for the Championship. They can do us a massive favour by winning against West Ham, and then hopefully we can get the three points against Leeds."
It sounds like such a small thing to pick up on, but it's the small details in how players talk that hint at their headspace and are the clues we have to go on. And Micky van de Ven, in his body language on the pitch and in quotes like this were he sounds fully COYS, feels like a guy who is now more in than out at Tottenham.
There are flattering transfer rumors linking him to Real Madrid and Barcelona, but Van de Ven doesn't sound at all like a guy who is checked or looking at the next thing. He is 100 percent a believer in Spurs and in the fight for Tottenham, and, like a true Spur, he is not here to placate to Arsenal.