FC Volendam gave up ‘a lot of money’ in order to help Micky van de Ven seal a dream move to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur from Wolfsburg during the summer transfer window.
The Dutchman could one day see his name up in lights at his former stomping ground.
Micky van de Ven rose through the ranks at FC Volendam, spending over decade at the club before crossing the border into Germany in 2021. And such is the esteem in which the Tottenham Hotspur ace is held in back home, do not rule out the prospect of Volendam plying their trade at the ‘Micky van de Ven Arena’ at some point in the future, chairman Jaap Veerman highlighting the role the defender played in aiding the club’s financial situation.
Former Volendam ace thriving at Tottenham Hotspur
“As far as I’m concerned, if we ever give our stadium a different name, we’ll call it the ‘Micky van de Ven stadium’,” Veerman tells the Noord Hollands Dagblad with a laugh.
Volendam brought in nearly £5 million from Van de Ven’s move to Tottenham in August, benefitting from the re-sale clause in the Netherlands international’s Wolfsburg contract. The Eredivisie outfit could have added another million to their coffers before agreeing to reduce that 15 per cent re-sale clause to 12.5 per cent, smoothing over a bump in the road which threatened to derail his hopes of a big-money switch to the English capital.
“(We gave up) a lot of money for this club,” Veerman adds.
Van de Ven, who joined Volendam’s academy all the way back in 2013, was establishing himself as one of the finest defenders not only in England but in Europe before suffering a hamstring injury in that calamitous 4-1 defeat to Chelsea.
He is not expected to return to Ange Postecoglou’s XI until the New Year, his absence and the suspension of Cristian Romero coinciding with a run of three successive Premier League defeats for Spurs.
Micky van de Ven still out injured
“I thought Van de Ven was a really outstanding signing this summer. Really quick, pacey, left-footed,” Arsenal legend Martin Keown told talkSPORT (24 November, 11.50am) before that 2-1 loss at home to Aston Villa.
“And that partnership with Romero was really impressive. It was one of the best partnerships in the Premier League.
“To lose those two central defenders and your playmaker (James Maddison) is really significant.”
Travelling to Manchester City on Sunday, it could yet get worse before it gets better for Tottenham.
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