Sandro says Tottenham should build their defence around Micky van de Ven and make him captain next season, a clear call for the club to keep the Dutch centre-back at the heart of what comes next. He said Van de Ven needs to stay, that he has been at Spurs for three seasons, and that he should remain long enough to become a central figure for three or four seasons.
That view is landing now because Tottenham are expected to reshape the back line after another difficult campaign, with the club finishing 17th and surviving relegation by just two points on the final day. In that setting, Van de Ven has become more than a player to keep. He has become the one Sandro wants the team built around, especially with Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin both heavily linked with moves away.
Sandro also tied that idea to Tottenham's transfer planning by pointing to Marcos Senesi, saying the club are closing in on a free transfer for the Bournemouth defender. He said Senesi could compete with Van de Ven for one centre-back place, while Kevin Danso and Luka Vuskovic are options on the right side of central defence. Vuskovic, 19, is returning from a loan in Hamburg after making the Bundesliga team of the season there.
There is a catch in all of it. Sandro wants Van de Ven to stay and lead, but he also sees the club bringing in more defenders, and he named Jan Paul van Hecke as the kind of player Roberto De Zerbi could sign this summer. Van Hecke is 25, is approaching the final 12 months of his contract, and has already worked under De Zerbi, which is part of why Sandro called him ready for the next step. He said Van Hecke is good on the ball, can be very aggressive and, crucially, is mature enough to play now.
For Sandro, though, the priority is still Van de Ven. He compared him with Gabriel of Arsenal and said Spurs need the same kind of defender at their own club, one who can grow only if the side around him is strong enough. The next decision will show whether Tottenham agree: keep Van de Ven, hand him the captaincy and build from him, or let the summer remake the defence around him instead.
