Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven said the club's record £237 million summer transfer spending signals a fresh ambition following an unacceptable 17th-place Premier League finish last season.
Speaking in Sydney on July 27, 2026, ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Sydney FC at Accor Stadium, the 25-year-old Dutch center-back highlighted the dramatic squad overhaul under manager Roberto De Zerbi.
De Zerbi took charge late last season after the club dismissed Thomas Frank and brief interim manager Igor Tudor.
Spurs narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the previous campaign, prompting heavy summer investment that included breaking their transfer record twice.
The club signed midfielder Mateus Fernandes for £85 million and Sandro Tonali for £100 million, along with defender Jan Paul van Hecke for £52 million.
They also added free agents Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson, and Martin Dubravka, while negotiating a new long-term deal with Van de Ven.
New Mentality Under De Zerbi
Van de Ven emphasized that the squad needed a complete mental shift after enduring a stressful year near the bottom of the table.
He noted that the new additions have integrated seamlessly into the team dynamic ahead of their upcoming matches against Sydney FC and Chelsea.
"You can see the club has a new ambition.
It's something that's really important for players who have been here for a long time," Van de Ven said.
The center-back expressed strong confidence that De Zerbi's tactical approach will deliver a far more attractive and dominant style of football than the defensive, set-piece-heavy tactics used previously.
"Last season was a stressful season, unacceptable from our side, so to leave all of that behind and go into the new season fresh means a lot," he said.
Reflecting on pre-season preparation in Australia following a 2-0 victory over Auckland FC, Van de Ven indicated that the primary objective remains securing a return to European competition.
"Spurs is a team that needs to play Europe every year, so obviously the Europe spots is what we're going to aim for," he said.
He praised De Zerbi's emphasis on possession and aggressive attacking play during intensive training sessions.
"The last couple of weeks of last season, you saw he brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot of mentality-wise and passion-wise onto the pitch," Van de Ven said.
He added that the manager's tactical philosophy aligns closely with his own personal style.
"He started to play a lot with the ball, because he loves to be on the ball, loves to play the football he wants to play.
And that's also something I really enjoy," he said.
Van de Ven praised the squad's progress during the extended pre-season work in Australia.
"The feeling of the team is really good.
The guys who have come in are unbelievable as well, they fit well into the group," he said.
He set a personal baseline for consistency throughout the grueling league schedule.
"Personally I just want to stay fit all season, play a lot of games and be important for the team," Van de Ven concluded.
