There’s a new twist. Tottenham Hotspur’s first target, Mickey van der Vaart (22, Wolfsburg), has hit a reef.
Tottenham are looking to bolster their defense this summer. Last season, Tottenham’s defense was near the bottom of the table. They conceded a whopping 63 goals in 38 Premier League games, the sixth-most in the league, and ultimately fell to eighth place. As a result, they suffered the humiliation of missing out on European competition for the first time in 13 years.
The only reliable central defender is Cristian Romero. Eric Dier has long since been discredited by his frequent mistakes, and Davinson Sanchez has never been good enough to be a first-choice center back. Clément Langlais has returned to Barcelona after a loan spell, and Ben Davies is not a professional center back either.
New coach Enzi Postecoglou is also looking for a new face. Edmund Topsova (Leverkusen) and Van der Vaart are the leading candidates. Spurs were the first to contact van der Vaart, who is cheaper, and have reportedly succeeded in reaching a personal agreement with the player, who is also keen on a move.
Van der Vaart is exactly what Spurs need. The 6-foot-3 central defender has been dubbed the ‘next Van Dijk’ due to his quick feet and decent build-up ability with his left foot. In fact, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is rumored to have eyed him as a possible successor to Virgil van Dijk.
Tottenham moved quickly to win Van der Vaart’s heart, with Dutch publication De Telegraaf reporting earlier that “Spurs are ahead of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the race to sign Van der Vaart. Spurs have reached a verbal agreement with him on a contract until the summer of 2028.” “The deal is not yet complete, but there is growing confidence that Tottenham will sign Van der Vaart,” says The Athletic.
Of course, a transfer fee remains to be agreed. “But first, an agreement must be reached between the clubs,” De Telagraaf added. Van der Vaart joined the team in the summer of 2021 and is under contract until the summer of 2027. Wolfsburg want €40 million for his services. The final transfer fee is expected to be around €35 million.”
Suddenly, there was a big change. Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac has publicly opposed a move for Van der Vaart. According to the German kicker on Saturday, he insisted that it was not yet time for van der Vaart to leave the club.
“The important thing is that van der Vaart can wear the Dutch national team shirt next summer,” Kovac said, “He has to play a lot of games and he has to play well.”
“I can’t imagine a better stage for him than here in Wolfsburg. When the time comes, van der Vaan will leave one day. But for now, it’s still early. It would be good for him to have that confirmed once again.”
Van der Vaart is under contract with Wolfsburg until 2027 and has no buyout clause. If Wolfsburg are determined to keep him, there’s not much Tottenham can do about it. Knowing this, Kovacic is “completely relaxed” and says: “I have one wish. But we are the ones who hold all the cards.” 스포츠토토