Arsene Wenger, the legendary Arsenal manager, believes Tottenham Hotspur are Premier League championship contenders this season and has praised defender Micky Van de Ven.
After finishing tenth last season, the Spurs have enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2023-24 season. After ten games, they are unbeaten in the Premier League and top the standings by two points under Ange Postecoglou.
There has been much discussion over whether Tottenham can challenge for the title this season against teams like Manchester City.
Wenger is confident, and he has showered praise on new recruits James Maddison and Micky Van de Ven. He explained to Metro (via The Spurs Express):
“I like always to say what I feel deeply, and I believe Tottenham will be one of the contenders for the league.”
“They bought Maddison, who is a great player and who is that link from low midfield to high midfield, and added some technical creativity to the team.”
The Arsenal great also praised Van de Ven, saying:
“They bought Van de Ven who I find exceptional. I find him absolutely exceptional. They had weaknesses there [at the back] and last year [Hugo] Lloris didn’t have the best of seasons as well. And overall, the movement from Son into the middle, looks very good.”
Spurs signed Van de Ven from Wolfsburg in the summer for €40 million plus add-ons of €10 million. The 22-year-old has been outstanding in 11 appearances, keeping four clean sheets and scoring one goal.
Meanwhile, Maddison joined from Leicester City for about €45 million and has three goals and five assists in 10 league appearances.
Arsenal and Tottenham look unstoppable this season
After 10 games, the two archrivals are the only unbeaten clubs in the Premier League. Tottenham has the best record in the league, with eight victories and two draws. They lead Arsenal by two points, with seven victories and three draws.
Both teams had dissimilar wins this game but were able to keep their unbeaten streak going. On Friday, November 27, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Crystal Palace 2-1.
Tottenham took a two-goal lead at Selhurst Park thanks to an own goal by Joel Ward (53′) and a Son Heung-min finish (66′). Jordan Ayew equalized for Palace in the 90+4th minute, but Spurs held on to win.
Meanwhile, Arsenal defeated newly promoted Sheffield United at the Emirates on Saturday, October 28. Eddie Nketiah scored his first Premier League hat-trick, but Fabio Vieira equalized with a penalty in the 88th minute. To complete the scoring, Takehiro Tomiyasu scored his first goal for Arsenal in stoppage time.
