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Opinion
£27m Tottenham player may be very pleased with comments Micky van de Ven has now made
Radu Dragusin probably surprised quite a few people when he decided to join Tottenham Hotspur during the January transfer window.
The centre-back’s move to Spurs came hours after claims Bayern Munich were ready to try and hijack the bid to sign Dragusin. And it seemed that plenty of Tottenham fans had briefly accepted defeat in the race for the Romanian.
However, Dragusin would opt to join Ange Postecoglou’s side for just . Dragusin impressed on his first proper appearance for Spurs, coming on against Aston Villa as a second-half replacement for Micky van de Ven.
But Dragusin would not play regularly, much to the surprise of some, with Postecoglou keeping his faith in the partnership of van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
Radu Dragusin will be delighted with Micky van de Ven’s comments
Interestingly, van de Ven made a handful of appearances at the end of the season at left-back, scoring the winner against Burnley in May.
The Dutchman was covering as Tottenham dealt with a number of injuries in the role, with the likes of Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies sidelined. Sergio Reguilon meanwhile, had been loaned out.
Van de Ven has now spoken about playing in the position to Dutch outlet ahead of Euro 2024, and he clearly has little problem with playing at full-back more often in the future.
“I played at Spurs at centre-back almost the entire season, except for the last game. Then I was left-back. I can also perform there and be a weapon for the team with my speed,” he said.
“I don’t care where the coach puts me. I hope for playing minutes and will seize every opportunity I get with both hands.”
Dutchman’s versatility gives Tottenham plenty of options next season
Dragusin may be the player most delighted to hear van de Ven’s comments – even if the youngster is referring to his role in the national team – as the path into the team is being blocked by what appears to be such a strong partnership with real potential.
Obviously, it would be a risk if Postecoglou rearranged his pecking order to have van de Ven become first-choice at left-back, but it is becoming increasingly common to have centre-backs play in that role. And van de Ven has shown that he can play in that position already.
If Udogie struggles in the early stages of next season, Postecoglou will have a genuine opportunity to reshuffle his pack and perhaps bring Dragusin in alongside Romero, with van de Ven seemingly happy should he have to move out to the left.