Tottenham Faces Van de Ven Injury Blow Ahead of Brentford Opener
Roberto De Zerbi will walk into his first Premier League game as Tottenham boss without one of his key defenders. Micky van de Ven has been ruled out of Saturday’s trip to Brentford, a significant early setback for a coach trying to stamp his identity on a reshaped squad.
Spurs head to the G-Tech Stadium for the 5.30pm kick-off already juggling fitness concerns. Van de Ven has not played a single minute of pre-season and has barely been seen in training, and De Zerbi confirmed the Dutchman will miss the opener, along with Pedro Porro.
“Micky is not on the list tomorrow like Pedro Porro,” De Zerbi said in his pre-match press conference.
Porro only returned to training in recent days after lifting the World Cup with Spain, leaving Tottenham short of two regular starters in their defensive line.
The uncertainty does not end there. James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, Mateus Fernandes and Pape Matar Sarr have all been carrying issues in the build-up to the game, forcing De Zerbi into late calls on his first league XI.
“Maddison is inside, Solanke inside, Udogie, Fernandes also,” he explained. “Sarr not because he felt some pain, but nothing big.”
Van de Ven setback – but cover in place
Van de Ven’s absence is particularly frustrating for Spurs. The centre-back was expected to be a pillar of De Zerbi’s back line, yet a problem picked up during the club’s pre-season trip to Australia has delayed his start.
“Today he worked with us, with the group and he is going very well,” De Zerbi said. “He suffered a problem during the pre-season of Australia, I don’t know if it was the flight, but not a big problem.
“We have Senesi, we have Ben Davies and in the right condition to play the game tomorrow.”
Marcos Senesi, one of several summer signings, and the experienced Ben Davies now stand at the front of the queue to anchor the defence against Brentford, as De Zerbi leans on depth rather than ideal continuity in his first league outing.
Transfers still on the agenda
If the injury list hints at teething problems, the transfer activity underlines the scale of Tottenham’s reset. The club have already been aggressive in the market: Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all arrived.
And they are not done.
De Zerbi made that point clear when asked about the club’s business and the impending move for Manchester City winger Savinho. A fee of £75 million plus £10 million in add-ons has been reported, with the Brazilian expected to undergo a medical before signing a long-term deal.
On Savinho specifically, De Zerbi kept his guard up.
“It’s not right to speak about players until they are official,” he said. “Just to say I’m very happy.
“We have not finished in the transfer market. It’s an important part.
“So far we have brought in some great players, great spirit and great personality. You know better than me you don’t win the games with big names and big players, you have to deserve to win the game. To do that we have to reach the level in character, intention and value and style of play.”
The message is clear. The squad is stronger on paper, the recruitment drive is ongoing, but De Zerbi will judge this Tottenham side on attitude and structure, not headlines and price tags.
Brentford away, without Van de Ven and Porro and with several key players short of full fitness, offers an immediate test of that new standard.
