Spurs offer way too low?
Coach Niko Kovac is convinced that VfL Wolfsburg will “take another step forward this year” after the European Cup they missed on the last matchday of 2022/23 due to a home defeat against relegated Hertha BSC (1-2). The 51-year-old is still hoping for his most valuable player, Micky van de Ven, with a market value of 30 million euros.
“Micky is a huge part of this team. A player who has developed extremely well in recent years, with huge potential,” said Kovac on “Sky” about the 22-year-old central defender, who is said to have agreed on a change with Tottenham Hotspur – at least “De Telegraaf” reported in the Netherlands at the beginning of July. Kovac: “I feel like he’s happy, he sees himself here and he’ll take another step forward this season so that he can then possibly recommend himself to his national team for the European Championship.”
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Van de Ven only extended his contract in Wolfsburg in March until 2027, but announced after the end of the season: “Of course I feel very comfortable in Wolfsburg. So I don’t mind playing another year in Wolfsburg. But if I have the chance to leave, I would like to do that.” Before Kovac’s statements, sports director Marcel Schäfer had already emphasized that the U21 Oranje international had “nothing on the table” in terms of concrete offers, “that we have to deal with.” According to the “WAZ“There was an offer, but it was much too low. Wolfsburg would not sell van de Ven for less than 40 million euros.
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VfL Wolfsburg’s Kovac praises Felix Nmecha – Further transfers possible
No wonder, with the sale of Felix Nmecha (22) to Borussia Dortmund for 30 million euros, the “Wolves” have had a positive transfer balance to date. And that despite the fact that professionals like Moritz Jenz (24), Vaclav Cerny (25), Tiago Tomás (21) and Cédric Zesiger (25) have joined the team for 29 million euros. Kovac only had words of praise for the national player: “I would have liked to keep him, that’s very clear. This is a super boy who can become a world-class footballer. It was his first season. The development he has had is exceptionally good, not only at club but it has also put him in the limelight and into the national team.”
The transfer of Nmechas, which was very critically viewed due to the homophobic and transphobic videos shared by the midfielder on Instagram, is also something to be happy about at VfL, said Kovac: “We have developed a player, we have brought a player forward who can now say he has taken his first steps in Wolfsburg under this staff. I believe that he now has a new challenge in Dortmund, on a completely different level. And that’s the Champions League, that’s the fight for the championship. You have to prove yourself. He will do it, I’m sure of it. That’s why we’re happy that we were a small part of his development.”
Kovac evaluates his own transfer efforts positively. Wolfsburg were able to “strengthen in many areas”, “precisely because we brought in two new players in defence. We brought in two wingers up front who are very dangerous on goal, but can also resolve a one-on-one situation accordingly. That’s what we need because football is quality. But football is also a mentality. As a team, we have to see that we bring a decent mentality to the pitch. As a coaching team, we try to bring that into play. We are that way by nature and but the players have to do that too. And I hope that we can take another step forward with the new players.”
Kovac did not rule out that “one or the other” could still happen towards the end of the transfer phase. On the access side, Robin Gosens (29) was most recently associated with Wolfsburg. The left-back now emphasized that he could well imagine staying at Inter Milan. VfL should also advertise intensively for midfielder Lovro Majer (25) from Stade Rennes. In addition to van de Ven, midfield talent Aster Vranckx (20) is also interested, and Maxence Lacroix (23) was also recently associated with a departure.
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