Micky van de Ven Named Captain as Tottenham Unveils Leadership Group

Roberto De Zerbi has handed the armband to Micky van de Ven as Tottenham prepare to launch their new Premier League campaign, with the Italian coach unveiling a five-man leadership group on the eve of the opener.

The Dutch defender, fresh from signing a new contract, steps up as club captain after Cristian Romero’s departure to Atletico Madrid earlier this month. Behind him, Pedro Porro has been named vice-captain, with Ben Davies, James Maddison and teenager Archie Gray completing a reshaped hierarchy.

Leadership Structure

De Zerbi laid out the structure in blunt terms.

“The new captain is Micky van de Ven. The second Pedro Porro, the third Ben Davies, the fourth James Maddison and the fifth Archie Gray,” he told reporters.

The list is no token gesture. De Zerbi wants a pitch full of decision-makers, not a single figurehead.

“Why five captains? Just because I want many captains inside of the pitch and to be clear in the position,” he explained. “Every one of them deserves to be captain or in the group of the captains, but personality and passion is not if you are captain or not captain.”

Porro, a World Cup winner, and versatile midfielder Gray are new additions to the group, taking the places of Romero and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has joined Juventus on loan and is not expected to return.

Season Outlook

The change in leadership comes as Spurs try to turn the page on a traumatic season in which they only secured survival on the final day. The scars are still fresh, and De Zerbi is determined not to let them fade too quickly.

“[It’s been a] very intense three months, but I think we can't forget what happened. Last season is a big lesson for us,” he said. “We have to go on another page and start an important season.”

That “new page” is not just about faces and titles. De Zerbi framed it as a complete reset of identity.

“We're building a new project. The first two targets is very clear in ourselves is to find the soul of the team,” he said. “Second target to improve in our organisation with and without the ball. Our style has to be the key of our season.”

A new captain, a wider leadership core, and a manager still stung by the brink of relegation: Tottenham walk into the new season with their wounds visible and their blueprint declared. Now comes the test of whether that “soul of the team” can hold when the pressure returns.