Tottenham Faces Van de Ven Absence Before Brentford Opener
Tottenham will start their Premier League season without Micky van de Ven, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming the defender has been ruled out of Saturday’s trip to Brentford.
Spurs head to the G-Tech Stadium for a 5.30pm kick-off, but they will do so without the Dutch centre-back, who has not played a single minute in pre-season and has been absent from training throughout the summer.
Van de Ven is joined on the sidelines by Pedro Porro, who only returned to training days ago after helping Spain win the World Cup. The right-back is not yet ready to be involved.
Injuries and doubts pile up
De Zerbi cut straight to the point in his pre-match press conference when asked about his squad list.
“Micky is not on the list tomorrow like Pedro Porro,” he said.
The news is slightly brighter elsewhere. James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, Mateus Fernandes and Pape Matar Sarr have all been question marks in the build-up, but several of them are set to be involved.
“James Maddison is inside, Solanke inside, Udogie, Fernandes also,” De Zerbi confirmed. “Sarr not because he felt some pain, but nothing big.”
So Sarr misses out as a precaution, while others are pushed into contention for the opening day. It is not ideal, but it is workable.
Van de Ven’s situation is more specific. The defender has only just stepped back into full training after a disrupted pre-season.
“Today he worked with us, with the group and he is going very well,” De Zerbi explained. “He suffered a problem during the pre-season of Australia, I don’t know if it was the flight, but not a big problem.
“We have Senesi, we have Ben Davies and in the right condition to play the game tomorrow.”
The message is clear: Van de Ven is close, but not quite ready for competitive action. Marcos Senesi and Ben Davies will carry the load at Brentford.
Transfer drive not over
Off the pitch, Tottenham’s summer has been anything but quiet. Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all arrived as Spurs reshape the squad under De Zerbi.
And they are not done.
Tottenham are closing in on a deal for Man City winger Savinho, with reports of a £75 million fee plus £10 million in add-ons agreed between the clubs. The Brazilian is expected to undergo a medical before signing a long-term contract.
De Zerbi refused to be drawn on the specifics, but his smile told its own story.
“It’s not right to speak about players until they are official. Just to say I’m very happy,” he said.
“We have not finished in the transfer market. It’s an important part.
“So far we have brought in some great players, great spirit and great personality. You know better than me you don’t win the games with big names and big players, you have to deserve to win the game.
“To do that we have to reach the level in character, intention and value and style of play.”
The squad is being rebuilt, but De Zerbi is already shifting the conversation away from the window and back onto the pitch. Names are in. Reputation is in. Now he wants identity.
Spurs will walk out at Brentford still short of full strength, still waiting on Van de Ven, still working in new faces. The question now is whether this new-look side can show that “character and intention” from the very first whistle of the season.
