Micky van de Ven has looked like a shell of himself in recent weeks, with Tottenham Hotspur fans speculating that the pressure of a Premier League relegation fight is either too much for him, or the Dutch star simply already has his heart out the door of the N17 amidst serious interest from the likes of La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
There was actually a rumor that said a player on Tottenham was telling his teammates that he didn't care about the relegation fight since he would already be playing for a bigger club this summer. Many Tottenham fans actually assumed it was Van de Ven talking about his move to Barcelona, and the rumblings spread like wildfire around the fan base.
Well, the word did travel around pretty quickly, and it spread its way up to Van de Ven's ears. And he was none too pleased to hear that this is both how low Spurs fans thought about him and how such a report- which, by the way, never named Van de Ven specifically - even got spread anyway.
Micky van de Ven addressed the rumors
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the big Champions League Round of 16 second leg tilt against Atletico Madrid, Micky van de Ven admitted to being frustrated by this report and plainly stated that this report is not true nor applicable to any Tottenham Hotspur player.
Van de Ven said, via The Spurs Watch, "The other day when we read that one guy told the rest of the team that he doesn't care because he's leaving anyway. It's like how does this come out? It's just made up. And the fans will believe it. It's just frustrating for us guys."
It's fair to say that other Tottenham players feel the same way as Ven de Ven does about this quote. While it is true theat the players have underperformed this season and have to be accountable for their errors, it is also fair to say that media speculation has not done the club any favors with what has been put out there, especially things that may be inflammatory and difficult to substantiate.
What makes Van de Ven's remarks even more interesting is that many Spurs fans assumed he was the one this report was about. So Van de Ven publicly going against them complicates how Spurs fans feel about the reports that he is ready to leave and may be Barcelona bound, though cynics will note that Van de Ven has never said specifically that he is not leaving or that he is committed to Spurs either. So the case remains just as muddy as it was, albeit even more intriguing.