Time to go: Ange must ditch Spurs dud who earns more than Kulusevski & VDV combined – opinion
To overcome their current troubles, Tottenham must make the most use of the summer transfer window.
Micky van de Ven represents Tottenham.
Football, by nature, is fickle, with the changeable atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur exemplifying the plethora of emotions that may flow through a football club’s environment over a season.
Battered and battered after a dismal 2022/23 season that resulted in an eighth-place Premier League finish and no European appearances this year, Harry Kane, who had scored 30 top-flight goals, decided to transfer overseas to Bayern Munich.
It also resulted in the clever recruitment of Ange Postecoglou from Celtic, with the Australian’s trophy-laden time in Scotland and appealing style of football winning over Daniel Levy and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham, objectively, have suffered from bad luck on the injury front, which has wiped out the high-flying form of the first few months, which had supporters giddy with title aspirations and players oozing confidence and gusto as slick attacking play and newfound togetherness led fans to cry in unison: ‘we’ve got our Tottenham back’.
And maybe, just maybe, a glimpse of what is to come was provided to the north London club, laid out like a prophetic piece of parchment to tell of the riches that lie ahead for Postecoglou’s Tottenham.
It’s year one; don’t forget that. Tottenham’s season has been derailed by defensive shortcomings and a lack of confidence, with Thursday’s loss being the third in a row – though hobble is probably a better word.
Nonetheless, trust the process. With Postecoglou acquisitions like Micky van de Ven in the mix, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic.
Micky Van de Ven’s Season in Numbers
Tottenham’s troubles last season were exacerbated by a poor defense and a lack of coherence, but the £43 million arrival of Van de Ven from German club Wolfsburg has paid dividends in propelling Spurs back up the Premier League table, with Destiny Udogie’s return to the team restoring the left side.
According to Sofascore, the Dutch defender has played 23 games in the English Premier League this season, demonstrating his elite athletic swagger and crisp, progressive style of play with an average of 5.6 ball recoveries per game, as well as completing 65% of his 0.6 dribbles.
This inborn strength and speed, despite his central defensive position, is further evidenced by FBref metrics, which show Van de Ven ranking among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion and successful take-ons over the past year, the top 20% for goals scored, and the top 16% for tackles per 90.
His goal threat and defensive prowess are both noted, and given that he averages 2.0 tackles per game in the Premier League and wins 65% of his ground duels, it is tough to argue with his potential as a high-level, modern-day defender at the age of just 22.
He wasn’t cheap, but Tottenham would make a big profit even if they sold him this summer (which they won’t), and he earns £50,000 per week in north London, which is a minor income in compared to his high-profile colleagues.
One such Spurs star, Timo Werner, who earns a stratospheric wage that exceeds that of Van de Ven, came to reinforce the ranks in January but must now be released.
Why Spurs should ditch Timo Werner
Werner has numerous intriguing attributes, and his marauding presence down the left channel has given depth and energy at a critical moment, with Richarlison out for several months due to a knee injury.
Signed on loan from RB Leipzig in January, the former Chelsea forward was praised by pundit Paul Merson for his “lightning-quick” speed, and he has demonstrated this quality by ranking among the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries over the past year, as well as the top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90.
His contract expires at the end of the season, but the conditions include a £15 million buyout clause, with Postecoglou saying that he wants to retain the German at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, Tottenham are a club with fresh desire under Postecoglou’s guidance; recent results must not deter fans from the vision. However, Werner is not the long-term solution for a permanent role in the first squad, particularly given his high pay.
Tottenham: Top earners 23/24
While Werner is a loanee, Tottenham pays his entire wage throughout his stay at the club, and signing him for £15 million would not significantly reduce his earnings, removing him from the top level.
Werner’s weekly remuneration is more than three times that of Van de Ven’s. Furthermore, Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham’s fifth-highest earner, earns £110,000 per week, so even combining the Swede’s wages with Van de Ven’s would fall short of Werner’s weekly compensation of £165,000.
In the Premier League, the 28-year-old has started 10 games, had three substitute appearances, scored two goals, and assisted three times, completing 81% of his passes and averaging 1.2 critical passes per game.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Timo Werner.
But he’s not even averaging a dribble per game (0.9), nor is he showing himself to be a defensively competent part of the squad, making just 2.1 recoveries each appearance and winning only 42% of his duels, with a woeful 1.9 per matchup.
He suffered a hamstring injury against Arsenal in his penultimate outing of the season, maybe his last in a Tottenham jersey.
Football assigned a 4/10 match grade.London’s Alasdair Gold after an ineffective first 30 minutes that had some wondering why he had started over Brennan Johnson, Werner’s impact is possibly pegged to this point, that he has abilities but others do them better.
The Lilywhites have shown interest in wingers Raphinha and Samuel Iling-Junior, and a striker is also said to be a priority, meaning Son might revert to his natural spot on the left side more often.
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