Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham rebuild is being discussed through fees, exits and recruitment speed, but the club’s most important defensive decision may already be sitting inside the building.
Micky van de Ven has become more than a centre-back to keep. He is now the player around whom De Zerbi’s new defensive structure has to be protected, because the Dutchman represents the one thing Spurs cannot buy cleanly in July: recovery pace, left-sided balance and leadership credibility earned in the worst part of last season.
Tottenham’s own interview with Van de Ven after survival made that clear. The defender explained how De Zerbi spoke to him during the run-in, told him he would rely on him, and helped restore confidence inside a squad that had been dragged into a brutal relegation fight. That club interview was not just end-of-season relief. It was an early marker of hierarchy.
That matters now because Spurs are trying to change the temperature of their squad at speed.
Van de Ven gives De Zerbi a fixed point
Sky Sports has reported that De Zerbi is being backed in an aggressive summer rebuild, with Tottenham moving early for defensive additions and still targeting major midfield upgrades. The same report framed Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson as part of a wider attempt to raise the technical floor of the back line.
That is sensible. De Zerbi’s football cannot function with passive defenders who merely survive pressure. He needs centre-backs who can receive under contact, break the first line and defend large spaces when the team squeezes high.
Van de Ven is the one Tottenham defender who naturally covers the most dangerous version of that plan. His recovery speed allows the back line to hold territory. His left-footed profile helps the first pass out. His experience captaining the team after Cristian Romero’s injury last season gives him a stronger dressing-room standing than his age suggests.
That is why his role should be treated as a non-negotiable, even as the club reshapes the rest of the unit.
The rebuild cannot become a rotation puzzle
Tottenham have already had to manage a messy defensive calendar around World Cup returns, pre-season availability and new signings. ReadTottenham has already assessed the broader timing issue facing De Zerbi’s back line, particularly as international workloads eat into the preparation window. That problem has not gone away.
The temptation, with more centre-backs arriving, is to frame the summer as a straight competition for places. That misses the tactical point. De Zerbi does not simply need four good defenders. He needs combinations that solve different phases of the game.
Van de Ven alongside a dominant aerial defender gives Spurs recovery insurance. Van de Ven with Van Hecke gives them a more technical first line. Van de Ven with Senesi could give De Zerbi two left-sided passers, but would require careful balance elsewhere. Robertson’s arrival, meanwhile, changes the protection around the outside channel.
Those are useful options, but only if the one constant is clear.
Tottenham cannot afford another season in which the back line looks selected by availability rather than design. The Kinsky contract question has already shown how De Zerbi is trying to create certainty in key defensive positions. The same principle should apply in front of him.
A leadership call as much as a tactical one
Van de Ven’s importance is not only athletic. The official club interview revealed something more valuable: De Zerbi trusted him when the mood was fragile, and Van de Ven responded.
That bond gives Tottenham a leadership platform that cannot be manufactured by a transfer fee. In a squad still absorbing new arrivals, uncertain exits and the memory of a relegation scare, De Zerbi needs players who already understand the emotional cost of last season.
The smartest rebuilds keep their anchors visible. Tottenham can add around Van de Ven, rotate beside him, and protect him physically across a long campaign. What they should not do is blur his status.
For De Zerbi, the defensive rebuild starts with one fixed instruction: build the new Tottenham back line around the player he already told he would rely on.
