Micky van de Ven is the latest name to appear on Manchester United’s summer transfer shortlist – but are the Old Trafford side potentially making a mistake by moving for the Netherlands centre-back?
Van de Ven was once considered one of the leading centre-backs in the Premier League, yet Tottenham’s collapse into a relegation battle has damaged his reputation more than most.
Man Utd are not ready to rule out a possible move, with The Athletic reporting that they are “considering” a summer swoop for the 25-year-old.
Van de Ven to Man Utd: The state of play
Man Utd want to strengthen the heart of their defence immediately, and they are monitoring the prospect of signing Van de Ven.
The Netherlands star is likely to be on the transfer market in the summer, but with a contract that runs until 2029, Spurs are under little pressure to sell.
Van de Ven’s campaign has been described as ‘defensively turbulent’, but it is pointed out that he has scored seven goals for Roberto De Zerbi’s struggling side.
A crucial point in all this is that United are ready to back Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro to become their answer to Arsenal central defensive partnership Gabriel and William Saliba.
The Red Devils want a more seasoned figure ahead of their return to Champions League football, though.
Man Utd hope for immediate Van de Ven impact
United’s desire to sign Van de Ven is motivated by the belief that he can make an immediate impact on their starting XI, according to The Athletic. Is that the case?
SciSports casts significant doubt upon this. Based on its analysis, which is driven by hundreds of in-game data points, Van de Ven has been one of the poorest-performing centre-backs in the Premier League this season.
Indeed, it rates Van de Ven behind Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Leny Yoro, while his advantage over the vastly experienced Harry Maguire is negligible.
He is unlikely to come cheap, either. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €62m, but given the leverage that Spurs still have over his contract, he could fetch a higher fee than this – particularly if they are not relegated.
A long-term project
While United’s logic in signing Van de Ven to make an immediate impact on Man Utd’s first team may not be correct, there is a scenario in which the former Wolfsburg player would undoubtedly be a smart signing.
His long-term potential is excellent. Indeed, SciSports believes that he has the potential to become a ‘key player’ at Old Trafford one day.
The trouble with this approach, though, is that United already seem to have earmarked Heaven and Yoro as their partnership for the future.
Van de Ven is not a short-term fix as Man Utd’s transfer chiefs seem to hope. Instead, he is a long-term project. But if there are already two such centre-backs at Old Trafford, is there any point in signing the Spurs star?
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