CLUB STANCE: TOTTENHAM HIERARCHY DECLARES MICKY VAN DE VEN "NOT FOR SALE" AMID CONTRACT NEWS
Tottenham is accelerating contract talks with Micky van de Ven to make him a top earner and ward off interest from Real Madrid.
Tottenham is getting closer to locking down Micky van de Ven for the long haul. Big people at the club are pushing forward talks about a new contract. It's meant to show how important he is to what they're building in North London.
People are saying Spurs are ready to bump up his pay quite a bit. They want to hold onto one of their best players. Other teams are starting to sniff around, and Tottenham thinks Van de Ven could be a main guy in the team's future.
He's already signed up until 2029, so Tottenham doesn't have to do this right now. But the team wants to talk about his contract way before it ends. That shows how much they like him and how crucial he's become since he got here in 2023.
Tottenham isn't panicking. They're planning ahead with Van de Ven. The club sees the center-back as super important to what they want to do, especially as the team changes under Thomas Frank.
Tottenham and Van de Ven's people started talking earlier this year, and it's been going well. Now, things should speed up. They're figuring out a deal that would make the defender one of the highest-paid players there.
Right now, Van de Ven makes less than Tottenham's top earners, and the club wants to fix that. The new deal would raise his pay a lot, matching what he does as a starter and leader in the locker room.
Tottenham wants to avoid situations where key players are close to the end of their contracts without knowing what's next. With Van de Ven, Spurs want to get rid of any doubt early on.
People at Tottenham think Van de Ven is more than just a really good defender. Coaches are impressed with how he looks, how consistent he is, and how calm he is when things get tough. Plus, he's a pro off the field, which has made him even more respected in the team.
More and more, Tottenham thinks Van de Ven could become captain someday or at least be a big part of the leadership. That's a big reason why the club wants to give him a better contract.
It's worth noting that other big teams in Europe have been watching him. But Tottenham has made it clear they don't want to sell him.
The club's message is simple: Van de Ven is not for sale, and this new deal is meant to make that crystal clear.
For Tottenham, keeping Van de Ven happy is about more than just rewarding him. It's also a way to protect themselves. Good, athletic center-backs are getting harder to find and more expensive.
The club knows it would be bad if a player like him got close to the end of his contract. That would bring a lot of unwanted attention and make it harder for them to negotiate. By acting now, Spurs stay in charge and make the team more stable.
This is like what they've done with other important players recently. Tottenham is focusing on keeping things consistent and clear instead of reacting to problems later. It also tells everyone in the locker room that good work and getting better will be rewarded.
Even though talks are still going on, everyone's feeling good that they can reach an easy agreement. Van de Ven likes living in London, likes being at Tottenham, and seems open to staying longer if he gets paid more.
For Tottenham, finishing this new deal would be a big win. It would make sure one of the best defenders in the Premier League stays right where they want him during a time when the team is changing a lot.
If things go as planned, this deal will show even more that Tottenham wants to build around a group of players who can always compete at the highest level. Van de Ven is definitely one of those guys.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
_1777914166.webp)
Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
Must Read
