Could Liverpool really sign Micky van de Ven after Tottenham defender tipped for Anfield success - opinion

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Liverpool may well regret not pushing harder to sign Micky van de Ven before he joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.While injuries have certainly become a feature of the former Wolfsburg defender’s game, he appears to have put that behind him this season and is thriving as a result.Liverpool, on the other hand, remain in search of their next starting centre-back. According to former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz, Van de Ven may be the ideal player to come in and assume leadership duties from his countryman Van Dijk.“I think he’s the ideal successor to Virgil van Dijk, both in the Dutch national team and at Liverpool,” Boulahrouz told ESPN.

And Liverpool isn’t crazy: if you’re looking for a world-class left centre-back and you have the money, you’ll quickly end up with Van de Ven.”There is certainly some credence to the pundit’s comments, but regardless of whether he would be a success or not, is a Liverpool move for Van de Ven even a possibility? He has missed only 10 minutes of action throughout Tottenham’s 11 league fixtures.READ MORE: Liverpool’s chances of landing Alessandro Bastoni rated as Reds told to ‘keep an eye’Liverpool were heavily linked with Van de Ven before his move to North London, and the 24-year-old is clearly someone on the Reds’ radar.As they assess the centre-back market – and potentially prepare to replace Van Dijk in 2027 – Van de Ven could definitely be in their thinking.

But Liverpool have the money, and if they are convinced Van de Ven could really replace Van Dijk effectively, price should not be a huge issue.Will Liverpool go in for Van de Ven?Liverpool have plenty to think about when it comes to signing one, two or even three new centre-backs in the coming 18 months.If they weigh all of that up and decide that Van de Ven is the player they want, then there really is no reason they would not make an approach to Tottenham.SeasonAppearancesGoalsAssists2023/2429302024/2522022025/261660You do not replace a player like Van Dijk with just any old defender. But if Van de Ven continues to shine at Tottenham, then he should be considered as well.Boulahrouz may be slightly underestimating the difficulty of taking over from Van Dijk at Liverpool, but it may be that Van de Ven is ultimately the player handed the keys.