'Current World's Best Centerback!' Tottenham core praised by 英 expert, £34m not a waste
Oct 01, 2024
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Tottenham Hotspur fired a signal of a rebound. The away game in the sixth round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2024-2025 season at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on September 30 (Korea time) was a watershed. In the match, Tottenham defeated their home team Manchester United 3-0 to become eighth in the league (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, 10 points).
There are two reasons why this victory came more special. One is that he won even though Son Heung-min was absent. Son Heung-min was replaced during the Europa League match against Karabakh FC (Azerbaijan) on September 26 due to thigh pain. Concerns over injury have become a reality. In the end, he couldn't come out against Manchester United.
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The second special thing is that Tottenham's defense also showed closer perfection in the match against Manchester United. Among them, the performance of Tottenham center back Mickey van der Penn was outstanding. This is because he contributed a lot not only in defense but also in offense and actually performed MOM-class in the game. Van der Penn, who showed strong rear defense throughout the game, even assisted Johnson's first goal and played a perfect game.
Local experts praised Van der Penn's performance. First of all, the sixth round of the EPL in the 2024-2025 season, selected by public broadcaster BBC's Troy Deeney, was unveiled on the 1st, and Van der Penn was the only Tottenham player to be included in this.
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O'Hara told talkSPORT that Van der Penn, who is valued at £34 million, is currently the best centre-back of his time, outperforming Arsenal's William Saliba. He said "It's no exaggeration to say that Van der Penn is the best center back in the world at the moment. It's better than Saliba. Of course Saliba is a great, fantastic centre-back as well." Saliba, however, has yet to prove it all. Pan the Pen is the best in the world at this point. With the current form, he can be the main player in any team. Regardless of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, etc., it works in any team, he said."
In fact, Van der Penn is now playing an indispensable role for Tottenham. Tottenham focused on recruiting strikers and young players in the transfer market last summer. The center back was not reinforced separately. This is because Radu Dragusin, who was hired in January, is the backup, and Van der Penn's presence is strong. Tottenham may not be swayed if Van der Penn is in good shape.
wman@sportschosun.com
