Micky van de Ven

Key strength: Aerial dominance

Defensive anchor

In the wreckage of Tottenham Hotspur's catastrophic campaign—16th in the table, five consecutive defeats, their worst form in a generation—one figure rises improbably from the rubble. Micky van de Ven, the 24-year-old Dutch colossus wearing #37, has weaponized his aerial dominance into a staggering 8 goals and 1 assist from centre-back. While attackers Mohammed Kudus and Randal Kolo Muani struggle for service up front, it's van de Ven thundering into opposition boxes who leads Spurs' scoring charts. Across 32 appearances and 2,870 minutes of relentless duty, the €65 million-rated defender has transformed from Cristian Romero's reliable partner into Tottenham's most dangerous attacking outlet. His ball-playing elegance from the back—65 passing, composed under pressure—belies the physicality of his six yellow cards and zero reds. In a season of North London darkness, van de Ven burns defiantly: a centre-back forced to become the hero his collapsing club desperately needs.