Micky van de Ven Named New Tottenham Captain

Roberto De Zerbi has handed the armband to Micky van de Ven as Tottenham step into a new Premier League season still scarred by last year’s relegation escape.

Speaking on Friday, the Spurs manager confirmed the Dutch defender as his new captain, with Pedro Porro named vice-captain and Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray completing a five-man leadership group.

“The new captain is Micky van de Ven. The second Pedro Porro, the third Ben Davies, the fourth James Maddison and the fifth Archie Gray,” De Zerbi said.

Van de Ven’s promotion comes shortly after he signed a new contract and follows the departure of former skipper Cristian Romero to Atletico Madrid earlier this month. Porro, a World Cup winner, and Gray are fresh additions to the group, replacing Romero and Guglielmo Vicario, who has joined Juventus on loan and is not expected to return.

De Zerbi wants leaders everywhere he looks.

“Why five captains? Just because I want many captains inside of the pitch and to be clear in the position,” he explained. “Every one of them deserves to be captain or in the group of the captains, but personality and passion is not if you are captain or not captain.”

The backdrop to these changes is impossible to ignore. Spurs survived on the final day of last season, a brush with disaster that has shaped De Zerbi’s thinking as he starts what he calls a new project.

“[It’s been a] very intense three months, but I think we can't forget what happened. Last season is a big lesson for us,” he said. “We have to go on another page and start an important season.”

That “new page” comes with a clear blueprint. De Zerbi wants identity first, results to follow.

“We’re building a new project. The first two targets is very clear in ourselves is to find the soul of the team. Second target to improve in our organisation with and without the ball. Our style has to be the key of our season.”

New captain. New hierarchy. Same warning ringing in their ears from last May. Now Spurs have to prove that lesson has truly sunk in.