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Ange Postecoglou has had a fine start to life at Tottenham Hotspur – with some key recruits playing their part.
James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario have been among those who have starred since joining Spurs in the summer, as the club have surged to the top of the Premier League.
Postecoglou believes that, at the top level, signing players with the requisite ability is the easy bit – the most crucial part is always finding recruits who have the right personality and characteristics to fit the way he wants to play.
Micky van de Ven celebrates his winning goal for Tottenham against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in October 2023.
“I mean first, I don’t see them as players – they’re people,” he said during an exclusive interview for the current issue of FourFourTwo.
“Particularly when you get to this level, there are so many wonderfully talented players around the world. People talk about recruiting, but it’s pretty hard to get it wrong as they’re all so good.
“It’s more about the fit. Do they fit into the football we want to play? Are they the right kind of personality? That’s a big one for me – with the way we play, you need to have a certain mindset as an individual, to be brave and to want to challenge yourself on a daily basis.
“That’s why, before we sign anyone, I always have a little bit of a chat to the player, just to get a feel for the kind of person they are. Not to pass any sort of judgement on them, but to see if they really understand, and what’s their motivation for coming to us.”
‘The next Declan Rice’ has been linked with Spurs, while ‘the next Harry Kane’ could be on his way, too. Tottenham are also linked with Federico Chiesa, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could leave.
FFT, meanwhile, has named Tottenham’s worst signings ever.
