Man United know exactly who they should sign from Tottenham’s summer transfer sale

Tottenham Hotspur are staring down the barrel of relegation to the Championship after an astonishingly poor season

When Manchester United lost the Europa League final last May, few would have predicted that would be the start of Tottenham Hotspur’s downfall. But while United managed to regroup and invest wisely in ‘plug and play’ talent, to coin a phrase from Jason Wilcox, Spurs have lurched from one crisis to the next.

Ange Postecoglou was sacked after delivering on his promise to always win a trophy by the second season. Brentford’s Thomas Frank arrived to end Spurs’ susceptibility to the counter but all he did was nullify Tottenham’s attack. With frustrations boiling over from the terraces, he left in February.

Igor Tudor’s interim appointment was meant to tide Spurs over. Instead, he failed to win any of his six Premier League matches in charge as their slide towards the relegation zone continued. Now, Roberto De Zerbi has taken the reins but the damage could already have been done.

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Tottenham are two points adrift of safety and suffered another sucker punch when a late goal by Brighton last time out denied them their first Premier League win of 2026. The north London club’s status in the top flight is in serious jeopardy.

With a trip to relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers coming up, all is not lost for Spurs. But, regardless of whether they stay up or not, there will be a fire sale at Tottenham in the summer. Staying in the Premier League is not an achievement for Spurs and there is an expectation that this squad will be refreshed.

But Tottenham will not solely lose players they want to see depart. Without European football, their stars will want a new challenge – especially having diced with relegation this term.

From United’s perspective, this should be an opportunity. Thanks to a 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday night, a return to the Champions League is all but sealed.

Under Michael Carrick’s watch the Reds have performed well, but their squad is still wafer thin. It has survived thanks to no European fixtures this season. Early exits in the Carabao and FA Cups meant this season comprises of just 40 matches, but should they qualify for the Champions League or even the Europa League, an extra eight matches are guaranteed to be added to the schedule.

This is without adding better cup runs onto their calendar. Whichever way they look at it, United must add more quality players if they want to continue their success.

That includes in defence. Injuries and suspensions created a perfect storm last weekend to leave Ayden Heaven as the only recognised centre-back in the team.

He performed admirably but with Matthijs de Ligt’s return no closer, Lisandro Martinez out of contract at the end of next season, along with Harry Maguire, adding a player of Micky van de Ven’s quality would be a smart move. Even during this terrible Spurs campaign, Van de Ven has impressed.

At 25, he still has the best years of his career ahead of him. But even now, he is a wise head who can command a backline.

If Tottenham are relegated to the Championship, signing Van de Ven would be a no-brainer. He would cost a fraction of his current value and would make United stronger in the process.

If they survive, his price tag would remain largely intact but that should not deter United. Van de Ven is unlikely to have the appetite to stay for the De Zerbi rebuild and, considering the amount of money the Italian will need to complete that, there is a deal to be done for United.

Wilcox proved last summer that signing the best players from Premier League teams is a concrete way of improving. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are proof of that.

Van de Ven is not the reason Spurs are in this position. Take him out of that environment and into one where confidence is flowing, we would see him return to his previous high level.

United need to use their money wisely in the summer and moving for Van de Ven would be the smart call.