Tottenham Hotspur are weighing a winter move for one “really fast” Premier Leaguedefender amid injury concerns surrounding Micky van de Ven.

Van de Ven’s hamstring woes

Spurs’ 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday was the source of bitter disappointment, but not because of the result.

While manager Ange Postecoglou‘s early-season unbeaten streak came to an unceremonious end, star centre-back van de Ven handed the Australian his biggest worry by far after being forced off with a hamstring injury.

The Dutchman barely managed to limp off the field, needing assistance by Spurs medical staff in a real concern. Tottenham’s summer signing has been imperious so far this season, forming a fantastic partnership with Cristian Romero at the heart of Postecoglou’s defence.
Reports in the last two days have now suggested that van de Ven won’t need surgery on the issue, which will come as a much-needed boost for Spurs, but it is still unclear exactly how long he’ll be out for.

We’ll know more tomorrow when Postecoglou addresses the media before Tottenham’s Premier League encounter against Wolves this weekend, but in the mean time, new sporting director Johan Lange has reportedly been considering solutions in the transfer market.

Tottenham considering Godfrey move

The Lilywhites are now looking at alternative options for January, with Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly and Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah among the names linked recently.

According to 90min, sharing a transfer update this week, Spurs could now move for Everton ace Ben Godfrey, who has found game time difficult to come by at Goodison Park.

The Englishman was once becoming a regular under Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate, even being included in England’s provisional squad for Euro 2021.

However, he has since fallen down the pecking order, and it is believed he wishes to reignite his faltering career. Everton, for their part, are open to doing business with interested sides as the January window looms.

Alongside Spurs, Newcastle and other Premier League sides are showing an interest in the 25-year-old, who has been revered for his speed by former teammates.

Godfrey’s “rapid” speed can replace van de Ven

Jonjoe Kenny, who now plies his trade for Hertha Berlin in Germany, once called Godfrey a “really fast” and “rapid” player.

“Ben Godfrey catches pigeons, simple as,” said the former Everton defender in 2021.

“But when Ben gets going he’s rapid so I don’t know if they have a race or would have a race but yeah, it’s close between them two. Dominic is really quick too but I’d say Ben.”

Alongside Kenny, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has previously heralded Godfrey as a player, having called him “really good” in 2020 during the defender’s Norwich City days.

“I said in the past that we are looking for a centre-back because we are short there,” said Ancelotti on Godfrey to talkSPORT.

“He is a really good centre-back, but he is at this moment playing for Norwich, so I can’t say more.”

Given Godfrey’s pace, which is crucial for a centre-back in Postecoglou’s high line, he could actually be an excellent candidate to come as a van de Ven alternative.