BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has now claimed Tottenham Hotspur will not be able to keep ahold of one of their summer signings.
Ange Postecoglou‘s first campaign as the Tottenham manager is now almost at an end and there have been a lot of positives to take.
One of the plus points from the season has been the club’s recruitment over Postecoglou’s first two transfer windows.
Players like Guglielmo Vicario have landed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and seriously impressed in their first campaigns at Spurs.
However, that has now seen the former Tottenham player, Crooks, suggest that Spurs are going to struggle to keep one of their star players.
And impressive season in the Premier League may have caught the eyes of teams across Europe and Crooks is expecting this player to go on to something bigger than Tottenham.
Garth Crooks says Tottenham player needs to be winning trophies
The search for silverware will go into next season for Tottenham with Postecoglou’s side falling short in all competitions this season.
However, it is still early days in the Australian’s project at Hotspur Way and a lot more promises to be on the horizon for Spurs.
And at the heart of this project at Tottenham is a number of signings made by the Spurs boss with the likes of Micky van de Ven playing a huge role in the starting XI.
The Dutchman has seriously impressed during his first season at Spurs having signed last summer for £43m from Wolfsburg.
Van de Ven secured the points for Spurs on Saturday with his late goal and earned himself a spot in Crooks’ Team of the Week.
However, the BBC Sport pundit has now claimed Spurs are going to struggle to keep the 23-year-old around for long.
“Apart from the horror show at St James’ Park where Spurs were trounced by Newcastle and Micky van de Ven looked like he had skis on his feet instead of football boots, he’s had a flawless season,” he said.
“Van de Ven is to Spurs what Saliba is to Arsenal, and that is irreplaceable at the moment. Quite apart from his pace and composure he takes his goals like an experienced striker. His finish against a Burnley side, who have spent far too much time this season indulging themselves in pretty football as opposed to being practical, was breathtakingly brilliant.”
“The problem both Van de Ven and Saliba have is they are outstanding young defenders who are not currently winning any trophies and should that continue they won’t be at either club for very much longer.”
Micky van de Ven impressing across two positions
As if Van de Ven’s season hadn’t been impressive enough, the Dutchman scored from a new position on Saturday.
He started alongside Cristian Romero like normal, however, he was moved across to left-back when Oliver Skipp was withdrawn after 75 minutes.
And just minutes after moving across to the left side of defence, Van de Ven found himself surging forward and providing a finish that even Heung-min Son would have been proud of.
It was apparent Postecoglou was pleased with the defender and the recruitment from the Lilywhites to bring in Van de Ven.
“I can’t think of too many players who have made such an impact in their first year of Premier League football, and knowing he only really had one year in the Bundesliga,” Postecoglou said on Saturday.
“It’s not like he’s a seasoned professional. He has had a few injury problems but when he’s played he has been outstanding.”