Officially, Micky van de Ven, a defender for Tottenham, is now the quickest player in Premier League history.
The price that was paid to move van de Ven from the Bundesliga to the Premier League suddenly seems like a good deal.
The Dutchman was probably unknown to most Spurs supporters when Daniel Levy approved a £43.5 million move to sign the 22-year-old from Wolfsburg (Sky Sports News, August 8, 2023).
But since coming to Hotspur Way, van de Ven has developed into one of Ange Postecoglou’s most important players.
After suffering a severe injury setback that prevented him from playing for over two months, van van Ven just made his Spurs debut in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 14.
Although there were concerns that van de Ven would re-aggravate his injury, the center defender has allayed those anxieties and appears to be playing at his peak right now.
Premier League stats
Given that van de Ven’s hamstring was hurt during Monday, November 6th’s 4-1 loss to Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, many may have been concerned that the quick-witted Dutchman would lose some of his incredible quickness.
Those Spurs fans didn’t have to worry, though, as the defender broke a new Premier League record and appeared speedier than ever after his comeback.
Van van de Ven set a record in the Premier League since data collection began in 2020–21 with an incredible high speed of 37.38 km/h during Tottenham’s 3-2 victory over Brentford on Wednesday, January 31 (Premier League Official Website, 6 February).
When the full-back recorded his highest speed of 37.31 km/h against Everton during the previous season on May 14, 2023, he surpassed former Spurs player Kyle Walker, who had held the previous record.
The world record for the 100 meters achieved by sprinter Usain Bolt in 2009 is comparable to this maximum pace.
The Jamaican set the record with an average speed of 10.44 meters per second, or 23.35 miles per hour. Van de Ven was able to reach a speed of 10.38 meters per second, or 23.23 mph, against the Bees.
Tottenham
Since coming to Tottenham, Van de Ven has been amazing.
The center defender produced three clearances, two tackles, one interception, and a passing accuracy of 98% in addition to his quickness, which would have been enough to turn heads against Thomas Frank’s team (Sofascore).
On Saturday, February 3, he was probably even more outstanding in the 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.
Van de Ven was able to walk off the field with his head held high despite Spurs failing to win all three points despite making one last-man tackle, winning three of his four ground duels, and making six clearances.
Given how many years he still has ahead of him and the heights he is currently accomplishing, the £43.5 million price tag is starting to appear extremely reasonable.
