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Micky van de Ven is excited about what the future holds at Tottenham after the Dutch international put pen to paper on a new contract on Monday.

Van de Ven's previous deal was due to expire in 2029, but Spurs were keen to tie him down to fresh terms amid interest in the defender throughout the summer transfer window.

The 25-year-old was reportedly on both Barcelona and Liverpool's radar, but he has decided to remain in North London ahead of Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge.

Since joining the club in August 2023 from Wolfsburg, Van de Ven has gone on to make 96 appearances for Spurs in all competitions, scoring 10 times from central defence.

Van de Ven ranks fourth for aerial duels won (132) since his debut, while only Cristian Romero (325) and Pedro Porro (349) have made more clearances than his 310.

And despite back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, Van de Ven is looking forward to what is ahead at Tottenham, the club he helped end their long trophy drought in the Europa League final two seasons ago.

"It's a special moment to sign a new deal and a proud moment for me and my family," Van de Ven told the Spurs website.

"I've always loved Spurs, from the first day I stepped in here. I love the club, I love the fans, and I've developed really well here.

"It's clear the direction the club wants to go in, and I want to be a part of it. I'm excited about what's to come."

Van de Ven becomes the fourth senior Tottenham player to sign a new contract this summer, after Ben Davies, Antonin Kinsky and Porro.

Tottenham's close-shave with relegation has sparked a summer of signings, which includes Van de Ven's international team-mate Jan Paul van Hecke, who joined from Brighton.

Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have also signed for big-money fees, while Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have arrived on free transfers.

"Micky is one of the best centre-backs in Europe and an important player for us," Spurs boss De Zerbi said.

"He has the qualities, mentality and ambition that we want at Tottenham Hotspur, and I am very happy that he has decided to continue his journey with the club.

"We are building something strong here, and players like Micky are an important part of that future.

"His decision to sign a new contract shows his belief in what we are creating together."

Along with the news of Van de Ven's renewal, it has been reported that Romero is edging closer to a move to Atletico Madrid. The Argentine defender had also been linked with Inter, but is said to prefer a switch to Diego Simeone's side.

Conor Gallagher believes "it's time to kick on" at Tottenham as he looks to help them move up the Premier League table in 2026-27.

Gallagher joined Spurs in January from Atletico Madrid for a reported £34m (€40m) and helped the north London side avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Since his move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gallagher has recorded the joint-most interceptions (18) among Spurs midfielders across all competitions, won the third-most tackles (16) and duels (70) and completed the third-most passes (464).

Nevertheless, Spurs only retained their Premier League status with a 1-0 win over Everton on the final day of the season, with Roberto De Zerbi's side finishing 17th.

Spurs have finished 17th in each of the last two Premier League seasons, and Gallagher is ready to do his part in improving the team's performances.

"It's time to kick on to try and show the fans what I can do," Gallagher told Sky Sports.

"I want to be at my best to help the club go to where we should be.

"Every footballer has things going on and hard, tough times. It's just life. Everyone has problems and I'm just really happy that we came out of it and I ended the season well.

"Hopefully this is only the start of my Spurs career."

Spurs have made a strong start in pre-season ahead of De Zerbi's first full campaign in charge, winning all four games so far, including a 2-1 win over rivals Chelsea.

After closing out pre-season with friendlies against Getafe and Hoffenheim, Spurs begin their Premier League campaign away to Brentford on August 22.

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Tottenham Hotspur faces the season with a sense of reconstruction under the leadership of Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian coach made it clear that his mission will only be complete if he manages to bring a title to the club, and for that, he considers it essential to add more "top players." The Spurs have already spent over 230 million pounds on signings such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, and Jan Paul van Hecke, in addition to bringing in Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson, and Martin Dubravka on free transfers. However, the market is still open and big names like Marcus Rashford, Victor Osimhen, Cody Gakpo, Savinho, and Folarin Balogun are on the club's radar, according to english media.

De Zerbi took over at a critical moment, with the team on the brink of relegation in the 2025-26 Premier League. Since then, the landscape has changed; after inheriting a battered squad, he transformed it into a team that now aims to compete for trophies, a year after winning the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou. "I consider a trophy as the end of the journey. I can't handle the end, I can handle the journey. The trophy comes if along that journey you worked well, you were your best version, and the players were able to perform at their best," explained the coach. His debut was a 1-0 defeat against Sunderland, but then he added 11 points in six matches, placing the Spurs among the most effective teams in the final stretch.

The team showed encouraging signs on the tour of Australia, where they remained unbeaten, drawing 1-1 against Sydney FC (winning on penalties) and triumphing 2-1 against Chelsea. De Zerbi recalled the scene of a devastated locker room after their first match and how he sought to change the perspective with positive energy. Now, Tottenham continues its preparation with matches against Getafe and Hoffenheim, before the league debut against Brentford on August 22.

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Roberto De Zerbi is extremely confident in Dejan Kulusevski's ability but does not want to hurry him back onto the pitch after a lengthy layoff.

Kulusevski has not played for Tottenham since the end of the 2024-25 season when he suffered a right patella injury in an innocuous challenge against Crystal Palace.

He has since spent 15 months on the sidelines, having suffered multiple setbacks that meant he missed all of last season and the World Cup this summer.

Kulusevski, who has made 146 appearances and netted 25 goals for Spurs since initially joining on loan in January 2022, is not yet back in first-team training but has been seen back on the grass with a ball.

It has been a long road back for the Swede, with his latest procedure in March putting him on course for his comeback, but De Zerbi is hesitant to put a date on his return.

"Kulusevski, fit and right, he's one of the best players we have in the squad," De Zerbi told British media.

"I wouldn't like to put too much pressure on him to accelerate the process of rehab, but I hope he can be available as early as possible."

There have also been questions over Spurs' goalkeeping position, with Guglielmo Vicario reportedly seeking a move away.

De Zerbi has confirmed he plans to use Antonin Kinsky as his number one for the upcoming season, having featured both players during Spurs' pre-season.

"We start with Kinsky because he deserves to be the first-choice goalkeeper," De Zerbi added.

Roberto De Zerbi feels his Tottenham journey will only be complete if he leads the club to a trophy, and to get there, he believes they must go after more "top players".

Spurs have been busy in the transfer market ahead of their first full season under De Zerbi, having narrowly avoided a humiliating drop from the Premier League in 2025-26.

They have spent over £230m to bring in Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have arrived on free transfers.

Marcus Rashford, Victor Osimhen, Cody Gakpo, Savinho and Folarin Balogun have all been linked with moves to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after De Zerbi suggested a big attacking signing was close.

Having inherited a team that was hurtling towards relegation, De Zerbi has now shifted his expectations towards challenging for more silverware, one year on from Spurs' Europa League triumph under Ange Postecoglou.

"I like to think I deserve to be here, and I deserve to want top players, because now Tottenham deserves to build up a top team," De Zerbi told The Athletic.

"Now we have to bring in top players to become competitive. I don't know if we can win, but for sure, we have to be better than the last two seasons in the Premier League.

"I consider a trophy the end of the journey. I can't manage the end of the journey; I can manage the journey from the beginning until the end.

"And now is not the moment to think of a trophy. The trophy arrives if you, in this journey, have worked well, have been your best version, and the players have been able to play in the best way they can."

De Zerbi's Spurs reign began with a demoralising 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in April, but from that moment on, they picked up 11 points from their final six games of the season (W3 D2 L1).

"When I arrived, I saw the players after Sunderland in the dressing room. I didn't tell you in the press conference, but it was like this: everyone crying, lying down on the floor in the dressing room.

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