As first seasons go, Ange Postecoglou has done a pretty good job with Tottenham Hotspur.
He managed to string together a ten-game unbeaten streak at the start of the season, and while things fell apart somewhat in the latter half of the campaign, he has led them to Europa League football next year, which they have every chance of winning.
It's not just the results that should be celebrated, though, as he also helped to bring in some talented players, like James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, and Brennan Johnson.
However, there is another ace who is perhaps the pick of the bunch and is now worth significantly more than club captain Son Heung-min.
Micky van de Ven's Spurs career
The player in question is, of course, Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven, who joined Postecoglou's Spurs last summer for around £43m from Bundesliga side VFL Wolfsburg and, as things stand, it was money well spent.
In all, the 23-year-old made 29 appearances for the side, in which he managed to score three goals, and had he not suffered two hamstring injuries, he would've likely played many more games for the club.
One of the Wormer-born star's biggest strengths is his immense speed, which was put on full display earlier this year when, in a game against Brentford, he set a new Premier League record for the fastest sprint speed in the league's history, clocking in at a blistering 37.38km/h.
Appearances
29
Goals
3
Assists
0
Yellow Cards
6
However, the twice-capped international is not a one-trick pony.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as a "complete & dominant" defender who is not only "fast [and] agile" but also a player who demonstrates "great positioning [and] anticipation."
While he's only played one season in north London, Spurs clearly have a potential star on their hands, and his latest valuation reflects that.
Micky van de Ven's valuation in 2024
According to the CIES Football Observatory, Van de Ven is worth a cool €60m, which converts to around £51m, or around £8m more than he cost the Lilywhites last summer.
1
William Saliba
€100m(£85m)
Arsenal
2
Gabriel
€80m(£68m)
Arsenal
3
Micky van de Ven
€60m(£51m)
Spurs
3
Cristian Romero
€60m(£51m)
Spurs
4
Axel Disasi
€50m(£43m)
Chelsea
4
Nathan Collins
€50m(£43m)
Brentford
5
Benoît Badiashile
€40m(£34m)
Chelsea
This new valuation means that the former Wolfsburg ace is the joint third most valuable central defender in London alongside club teammate Cristian Romero.
It also means he's worth much more than his captain, Son, whom the CIES value at just €30m, which is about £26m or close to half the Dutchman's worth.
This surprisingly low price tag on the South Korean's head is not due to a perceived lack of quality, as his return of 17 goals and ten assists in just 36 games this season is absolutely unbelievable. It's almost certainly because he'll turn 32 in July, and his contract is set to expire next summer.
Now, handing the 122-capped international a new contract could help alleviate the second problem, and another season as the team's starting nine could help with the first, as if he can consistently deliver the sort of numbers he has this year, it'll be impossible to deny his true worth.
That said, it can only be good news that the club's new centre-back star is already so highly thought of, and by this time next season, he might well be higher up on that list of defenders from the capital.
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