Tottenham: Van de Ven insists ‘we do care’ and defends Romero amid exit rumours
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven is tired of rumours about some of the club's star players
Micky van de Ven has rubbished suggestions Tottenham’s players aren’t committed to dragging the club out of relegation danger and already have one eye on their next move.
Spurs gained a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Sunday, belatedly showing some battling qualities after weeks of wretched performances.
They sit just one point above the relegation zone but will park their Premier League struggles for a few days and attempt to find a way past Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League having lost the first leg 5-2 in the Spanish capital last week.
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It’s the biggest nonsense – Van de Ven
There were reports captain Cristian Romero had told his team-mates he didn’t care if Spurs stayed up or not as he would leave in the summer either way but his defensive partner Van de Ven said the story had been fabricated.
The Dutchman said: “I’ve seen things [but] it’s not something I look at a lot, to be honest. It’s reporters just saying something. So we’re just like, how do you even come up with this? Like players are switched off or don’t care about the situation. What’s happening right now?
“And the only thing I can say about it is it’s not true. It will be strange if a player will be in a dressing room now and saying ‘Oh, I’m gonna leave, either way [so] I don’t focus about the situation’.
“It doesn’t affect me. And I think it’s just nonsense. It’s the biggest nonsense. Everybody’s just focused on what’s going ahead and what’s in front of us.”
It’s made up – Van de Ven dismisses Romero story
Romero is set to return to the side for the clash with Atletico having missed the game at Anfield after suffering a blow to the head at the Metropolitano.
Van de Ven is tired of the reported leaks from the dressing room and does not believe it is helping their cause.
“How does this come out? It’s just made up,” he added. “And the fans will believe it. It’s just frustrating for us guys.
“It brings so much more trouble as well, because fans are starting to believe this, but trust me, all the people involved on the pitch, the staff, the players, everyone, they care so much about the situation we’re in right now, and we just want to turn things around.
“If there are some reports saying the guys don’t care anymore, it’s frustrating for our guys.”
Van de Ven admits ‘it has been a tough season’
Spurs ended last season by winning the Europa League trophy under Ange Postecoglou.
But that high has been replaced by the low of a tough season that started under Thomas Frank but will likely conclude under Igor Tudor.
“If you see how we ended last season, that’s obviously a top thing, and then how you end up now this season, that’s really tough for everyone in the club,” said Van de Ven.
“This is not a position anyone wants to be in. It’s just a thing where we need to change around everyone together.
“But it just has been a tough season overall. It’s not finished yet [though], so we have some more games to come, and we’re gonna see after the season ends, where we end up.”