Why Tottenham tying Van de Ven down to a new contract will be so vital for De Zerbi

[p]At [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/newcastle-utd/p6ahwuwJ/"]Newcastle[/a], for example, there'll be no [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bruno-guimaraes/xtyKanzU/"]Bruno Guimaraes[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gordon-anthony/EFo95m2P/"]Anthony Gordon[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tonali-sandro/fmQVO5TQ/"]Sandro Tonali[/a] donning the black and white stripes.[/p][h2]All change at Tottenham[/h2][p]Tonali will initially pull on his [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a] shirt in West London as Spurs travel to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brentford/xYe7DwID/"]Brentford[/a], and he'll likely be joined by other newcomers [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/robertson-andrew/6e7Be9VI/"]Andrew Robertson[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/senesi-marcos/tzX63L7E/"]Marcos Senesi[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-mateus/rFdshPHI/"]Mateus Fernandes[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-hecke-jan-paul/WG59HGIH/"]Jan Paul van Hecke[/a].[/p][p]Perhaps the best news of all for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-zerbi-roberto/pYizckpN/"]Roberto De Zerbi[/a] will be regarding Van Hecke's Dutch colleague, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-de-ven-micky/rotN6HH8/"]Micky van de Ven[/a], however.[/p][embed guid="12134700-6587-4f8e-965d-1af5f8ad6933" url="https://x.com/SpursOfficial/status/2074070883560268135" social-type="twitter" /][p]Before the Italian arrived in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout, there appeared to be a very real possibility that van de Ven was heading for pastures new.[/p][p]Relegation to the Championship would've absolutely confirmed his exit, though even if they'd have stayed up, had De Zerbi not been in charge, it's still likely the Dutch giant would've walked.[/p][h2]De Zerbi's appointment was a master stroke[/h2][p]His demeanour in games and post-match press conferences when playing under Igor Tudor spoke volumes, and as Spurs tumbled towards the abyss, it really wouldn't have been a surprise to see Van de Ven instructing his representatives to sort out a move elsewhere.[/p][p]As it turned out, De Zerbi's appointment was a masterstroke, with the atmosphere at the training ground changing almost immediately.[/p][embed guid="c9ecb532-8222-4bac-80d1-ae1565409b68" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2051032817685913835" social-type="twitter" /][p]Despite the responsibility of staying up still weighing heavily on the squad's shoulders, the Italian's way of working helped to lift a cloud, to the extent where players who had been frightened of making mistakes a couple of weeks before (and it showed in their play) were now playing with freedom, panache and purpose.[/p][p]Although it would still take until the last game for Spurs to be absolutely sure of their Premier League survival, they had deserved to stay up at the expense of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/west-ham/Cxq57r8g/"]West Ham[/a] for the way in which they'd remained positive under their manager, determined to survive.[/p][h2]Van de Ven close to agreeing a new deal[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celtic/QFKRRD8M/"]The Hammers[/a], by contrast, seemed more determined not to lose under Nuno, rather than going out to win games, and they effectively sealed their fate with a disastrous, defence-first performance away at Newcastle, in a game in which Tonali did reasonably well before being subbed off.[/p][p]Staying up, quite obviously, brightened the mood around N17 and ensured that any financial forecasts made in anticipation of relegation could be discarded.[/p][embed guid="cf7b9943-f953-4846-9b3a-de1450906d1f" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2085591770788688239" social-type="twitter" /][p]That allowed De Zerbi to go on a transfer spending spree, and, allied with his brilliant man-management skills and the way he has his team playing, it appears to have convinced Van de Ven that his future should still be in North London.[/p][p]According to various reports, the Dutchman is close to putting pen to paper on a new, lucrative, long-term contract that would supersede the one already in place, which lasts until the summer of 2029.[/p][h2]Stunning numbers[/h2][p]That should come as a real boost to the Tottenham faithful, who know exactly how important the defender is to the way Spurs want to play under De Zerbi.[/p][p]Last season, for example, he was the only player to start all of the matches he played in (45), and his 90.7% pass completion rate was the highest in the entire squad for those players who had attempted at least 50 passes or more. Indeed, Van de Ven's 2,226 total passes were the most of any player in 2025/26.[/p][image alt="Micky van de Ven pass map - Premier League 2025/26" id="94b8efc7-da23-40a7-b8d0-3e45c2f04f08" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="2ba5d9c3-898f-45ad-83e2-e0c79a3e0e3e" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]Although the 283 one-on-one duels he attempted were only an 11th-best showing, his success rate of 55.83% meant he was again one of the top performers.[/p][p]161 clearances in general, as well as 100 headed clearances, were only bettered by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/danso-kevin/z1MBQMNN/"]Kevin Danso[/a], and 54.72% of tackles won ensured defensive solidity.[/p][image alt="Micky van de Ven radar graphic - Premier League 2025/26" id="cd1ed7ce-9c15-470a-a9ac-d706bd506b16" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="a570bd83-8bbe-4599-93f1-e430ef0eccb9" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]His pace is an incredible asset for a centre-back to have, and he got Spurs out of trouble on more than one occasion.[/p][p]He also utilised it at the opposite end, where he scored seven goals in all competitions. To put that in perspective, only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/richarlison/K82Dz773/"]Richarlison[/a] scored more.[/p][p]Getting Van de Ven to commit himself to the club will undoubtedly encourage others to do the same, with only the most positive of Tottenham fans likely to have expected such an outcome when they were being hammered in Madrid by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atl-madrid/jaarqpLQ/"]Atletico[/a].[/p][p]How quickly things can change...[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]