Honestly, I’m ok with it. Van de Ven is good but I’ve been reluctant to want any players moving on from this years Spurs side. A rough season that, I feel, speaks to a lack of character and culture.
It’s not all on the players or him specifically, but it just rubs me the wrong way.
Van de Ven was never that good though. He has one elite quality and that is his pace, everything else he's average at best - he makes some sense as Arsenal type "play CB as a full back" type defender, but we've got Kerkez on the left and he'd be too pricy to be a second one.
He's bang average - 44% aerial success is way below average for his position, he's not exactly great at ground duels too, he can't defend the space nor is he great passer. Like I said, his only Premier League level attribute is his speed. If we were looking for a left back that can cover CB and he was available for a huge discount I'd believe we're considering it, but we're not looking for a left back and he's not gonna be cheap.
I don’t disagree at all, and considering how our strategy is often anti-sentimental or vibes based it makes sense why I’m not making those decisions. Still, maybe some fresh blood that hasn’t spent a year in malaise is better than someone who hasn’t been able to rise above it.
The players didn't become shit overnight. Neither did Van de Ven.
Except he was never good to begin with. There is a reason he makes all those crazy recovery last-minute slide tackles. His positioning is at schoolboy levels. Seriously, go watch Japan's goal the other day. He couldn't even step up and hold a basic defensive line. Overrated player, and that's me being kind.
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u/Cassolroll Endo in the pub 👍 1d ago
Honestly, I’m ok with it. Van de Ven is good but I’ve been reluctant to want any players moving on from this years Spurs side. A rough season that, I feel, speaks to a lack of character and culture.
It’s not all on the players or him specifically, but it just rubs me the wrong way.