Tottenham Faces Van de Ven Blow Ahead of Brentford Opener

Tottenham will launch their Premier League season at Brentford without one of Roberto De Zerbi’s key defenders, as Micky van de Ven was ruled out of Saturday’s trip to the G-Tech Stadium.

The Dutch centre-back has not played a single minute of pre-season and has been absent from training pictures, and De Zerbi confirmed he will not feature against the Bees in the 5.30pm kick-off. He will be joined on the sidelines by Pedro Porro.

Porro has only just rejoined full training after lifting the World Cup with Spain, leaving De Zerbi to juggle his options at both ends of the pitch before his first league game in charge.

In midfield and attack, the picture is brighter but still complicated. There are fitness doubts over James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie, Mateus Fernandes and Pape Matar Sarr, forcing the Italian to weigh risk against reward on the eve of the new campaign.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi laid out the situation in blunt terms.

“Micky is not on the list tomorrow like Pedro Porro,” he said. “James Maddison is inside, Solanke inside, Udogie, Fernandes also. Sarr not because he felt some pain, but nothing big.”

Van de Ven’s absence is a frustration, though De Zerbi insisted the issue is not serious and that the defender is edging closer to full availability.

“Today he worked with us, with the group and he is going very well,” De Zerbi explained. “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.”

That last line tells its own story. With Van de Ven out and Porro short of fitness, Marcos Senesi and Ben Davies are likely to shoulder a significant defensive load as Spurs try to set the tone for their season in west London.

Transfers still on the move

Off the pitch, De Zerbi made it clear Tottenham’s summer rebuild is not over.

The club have already been one of the window’s most active operators. Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all arrived, reshaping the core of the squad before a ball has been kicked in the league.

And there is more to come.

Tottenham are closing in on a deal for Manchester City winger Savinho, with reports of a £75 million fee plus £10 million in add-ons agreed between the clubs. The Brazilian is expected to undergo a medical before signing a long-term contract.

De Zerbi refused to be drawn on the specifics of that move, but his smile told its own story.

“It's not right to speak about players until they are official. Just to say I'm very happy,” he said.

Then came the warning to the rest of the division: Spurs are not done.

“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, the chequebook is still open, but De Zerbi will judge this Tottenham side on how it competes, not how it looks on paper.

Brentford away, with a patched-up defence and a half-fit spine, is an early test of exactly that.