Micky van de Ven believes Tottenham have 'new ambition' following a £237 million summer spending spree, with the rumoured Liverpool target insisting the future looks bright in north London.
Spurs' Rebuild After Near Relegation
After Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, majority owners the Lewis family promised to be 'all in' to fund a rebuild. Six arrivals have followed, including two record signings: an £85 million midfielder Mateus Fernandes and a £100 million package for Sandro Tonali from Newcastle.
Van de Ven acknowledged Europe is the aim for a club that has finished 17th two years in a row. Liverpool have been linked with the Dutch defender, but the ECHO understands the Reds have never acted upon any potential interest.
Van de Ven on New Ambition
Speaking on Spurs' pre-season tour of Australia, Van de Ven said: 'It's really good that you can see the club has made some changes. They have brought a really good new manager, in my opinion, and some really good new signings. You can see the club has new ambition. It's something that's really important for players that have been there for a long time.'
'Spurs is a team that needs to play Europe every year, so obviously the European spots are something we are going to aim for. The most important thing is we play our football and that we are a difficult team to play against.'
Year of Change at Tottenham
The past 12 months have seen considerable change at Tottenham. Long-serving chairman Daniel Levy exited in September, months after a Europa League triumph that ended a 17-year trophy drought. Levy's departure was followed by poor form, leading to Thomas Frank's dismissal in February and interim boss Igor Tudor lasting only seven games.
With the Lewis family holding more power and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham tasked with turning around Spurs' fortunes, Roberto De Zerbi was hired in March. Van de Ven backed the Italian to bring back attacking flair lacking under Frank.
'It's going to be different compared to the former manager we had last season,' Van de Ven added. 'It's going to be more with the ball, more playing football. I think it's going to be more enjoyable for people to watch playing offensive football.'
