Why Micky Van De Ven Is Perfect For Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham

Micky van de Ven is joining Tottenham from Wolfsburg. Van de Ven was the fastest central defender in the Bundesliga and is a perfect fit for Ange Postecoglou.

Micky van de Ven is reportedly poised to join Tottenham Hotspur from Wolfsburg.

The 22-year-old Dutch defender - who has been capped 11 times at U21 level - is expected to become Tottenham's sixth permanent signing of the summer - after Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Pedro Porro and Manor Solomon.

According to Sky Sports, Spurs will likely pay Wolfsburg an initial transfer fee of €30 million, with various add-ons potentially taking the deal to €50m.

Signing a new central defender has been high on Tottenham's list of priorities since new manager Ange Postecoglou was appointed in June. 

Spurs have been a deep-sitting counter-attacking team in recent seasons but that will not be the case under Postecoglou.

Postecoglou likes his teams to play on the front foot, pressing high up the field.

The former Celtic manager encourages his defenders to push up the pitch to help apply maximum pressure on the opposition.

While this can be very successful - like it was at Celtic, where Postecoglou won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles - it is also a tactic that can leave the team playing this way very vulnerable if their central defenders are not quick.

For example, it is feared that Eric Dier may struggle to adjust to Postecoglou's tactical plan due to his lack of pace.

But Van de Ven is certainly not lacking when it comes to speed.

The most recent Football Manager video game gave Van de Ven a pace rating of 17 out of 20. But that might be a little harsh on the player who was the fastest defender in Germany's Bundesliga last season, having clocked a top speed of 22.3 mph (35.97 km/h).

Van de Ven's rapid speed was showcased spectacularly during a German Cup game between Wolfsburg and Union Berlin in January.

Watch Micky Van De Ven Hit Full Speed

Could we finally be seeing some pace at the back at #Spurs? 🤔

Check this out from reported CB target Micky van de Ven… 💨 #THFC | #COYS | #TTID https://t.co/FD7KetqcZi

— That Tottenham Feed  (@Tottenham_Feed) June 24, 2023

With Berlin leading 2-1 late in the game, Wolfsburg sent goalkeeper Pavao Pervan up for a corner. But Berlin won the ball back and launched a counter-attack.

With the keeper way out of his goal, Jerome Roussillon looked certain to score until Van de Ven raced back incredibly to block the ball inside the six-yard box.

It took Van de Ven less than seven seconds to run from one penalty area to the other.

Footage of Van de Ven's remarkable goal-saving run and block went viral this summer after it was first reported that he was a Tottenham target.

One stunned Spurs fan commented: "Is that on fast forward?"

But there is much more to Van de Ven's game than pace alone.

He is very strong and - standing tall at 193cm in height - capable of dominating in the air.

Van de Ven possesses excellent positional awareness and is also confident with the ball at his feet.

He is naturally left-footed and will likely play alongside Cristian Romero in Postecoglou's first-choice starting XI.

Micky van de Ven pictured playing for Wolfsburg during the 2022/23 season :: IMAGO/Christian Schroedter