Liverpool have been tipped to raid Tottenham for one among their best players if Spurs are relegated from the Premier League.
Tottenham are seventeenth within the table ahead of Monday’s clash with Leeds, one point above West Ham within the dreaded drop zone.
Spurs have underwhelmed all season and the team’s dismal form cost Thomas Frank his job after just eight months in charge.
Igor Tudor was appointed as Tottenham interim manager until the top of the season however the north London side didn’t improve under the Croatian.
Spurs won none of their league games under Tudor, slipping to 4 defeats within the league, although they did pick up a decent point away at Anfield.
The choice to depart with Tudor after just 44 days got here off the back of a hugely damaging 3-0 defeat at home to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest before the March international break.
Roberto De Zerbi was appointed shortly afterwards, and the fiery Italian has masterminded something of a late-season renaissance.
After losing his first game to Sunderland, De Zerbi helped Spurs pick up seven points within the resultant games courtesy of a draw with Brighton and wins over Wolves and Aston Villa.
But relegation remains to be an actual risk for Tottenham, who were competing in a Champions League final not so way back, and it could well result in a mass exodus of talent.
Micky van de Ven can be one among the more obvious departees given his status as probably the greatest defenders in Europe and Jason McAteer believes his former club Liverpool could sign him on the low-cost.
Van de Ven, who joined Spurs in 2023 in a £43m move from Wolfsburg, has been tentatively linked with a move to Anfield given Liverpool’s need for defensive reinforcements.
The reigning Premier League champions got here agonisingly near signing Marc Guehi last summer after which saw the previous Crystal Palace captain complete a January move to Manchester City.
Asked whether he can see Liverpool making a move for Van de Ven, McAteer said on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast: ‘It looks that way.
‘They missed out on Marc Guehi in the summertime, and I used to be a little bit bit surprised that they let it go to the winter window to attempt to do the business.
‘You mostly bring competition in then; other teams are on the lookout for players in that position, and City have gotten there before Liverpool. I feel they missed out on one there.
‘Leoni got here in in the beginning of the season; obviously, he picked up the really bad injury, which has set him back, and we brought in Jacquet as well.
‘I do know he’s not coming until next season, but he’s quality, they usually have spent a variety of money on him. He will probably be playing within the team, but they do need one other centre-half.
‘There are a pair on the market, but Micky van de Ven appears to be [on the market].
‘It would be interesting to see the way it develops at Tottenham because in the event that they do go down, they will probably be seeking to offload players, and Liverpool might nick him for a little bit bit cheaper.’
Ex-Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood also believes Van de Ven can be an appropriate goal for Liverpool.
‘I feel he’s the plain selection on that left side, there aren’t lots of those about,’ he added.
‘There may be one other, Jarrad Branthwaite, but he ain’t going to Liverpool, so it opens up the door there for Micky to go in there as a Liverpool player.
Would Micky van de Ven be a great signing for Liverpool?
Yes – he is strictly what they need
No – there are higher options on the market
‘I feel he’d do well for them, I actually do; he’s got all of the attributes to be a top-drawer player.
‘I don’t think he’s the finished article; he still must develop, but he must play with someone like Virgil van Dijk.
‘Those experienced, good players he can look as much as because he’s not the leader we predict he’s in the meanwhile, and I feel he must be shown easy methods to lead.
‘It’s a learning curve, and he’s still learning, however it’s a great option.’
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