Micky van de Ven could hardly be said to have been a household name when the Australian tempted the then 22-year-old to move from Bundesliga outfit, Wolfsburg, to the Premier League and the bright lights of the capital.
Vital to Spurs' defensive structure
At the time of his signing, however, Postecoglou went as far as to suggest that van de Ven would be vital to the defensive structure that the manager envisioned.
Any doubts that the North London faithful may have had were quickly put to bed as the centre-back showed his aerial excellence, physicality and speed across the ground.
Just five months after putting pen to paper with the Lilywhites, he was clocked as the fastest player in the Premier League when he sprinted at 37.38km/h against Brentford at the end of January 2024.
It was for his defensive attributes that he was signed first and foremost, of course.
Improving each season
Since joining the club, van de Ven has attempted 91 tackles in all competitions, winning 59 of them. A success percentage of between 53.8% (this season, ongoing) and 71.4% during his first campaign in North London evidences his abilities in this regard.
That first season (2023/24) also saw him win a clean sweep of Spurs' Player of the Season awards, make his debut for the Netherlands national team, and also earn a place in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024.
Though he has won possession back for his side on 305 separate occasions during his time with the club, he has also lost it 363 times. That could partly be down to his penchant for motoring out of defence with a view to setting up an attack.
Recently, against Copenhagen, we saw the damage he can do in full flight if he isn't stopped at source.
Goal of the season contender
His rampaging run from the edge of his own box to the edge of Copenhagen's before unleashing a venomous strike will surely rank as one of the goals of the season in the Champions League.
Only the second time in his Tottenham career that he'd managed a take-on with a goal at the end of it, his run was spectacular.
What might surprise many is that van de Ven has only made three total fast breaks out from the back in the entire time he's been in North London.
In any event, that shouldn't divert away from how many times he's given the ball away, and that clearly needs to be addressed.
Incredible pass completion stats
Spurs as a collective have already let in 10 goals in the Premier League this season too, and whilst not disastrous, could certainly be improved upon. That's on van de Ven as much as his defensive partner and captain, Cristian Romero.
One area he clearly excels in, however, is with regard to his passing accuracy.
Any defender in the modern game not only needs to be an athlete and a warrior, but also a player confident enough to play out from the back with accuracy and purpose.
Since joining Spurs, the only time that van de Ven's pass completion stat fell below 90% was in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain.
Even then, an 88.2% completion against the best team in Europe clearly deserves plaudits.
So far this season, only 6.7% of his passes have been backwards, and of the 653 he has made in 2025/26, 601 have been successful.
Tottenham's most important player?
A factor often overlooked is how disciplined the Dutchman is, too. Just 15 yellow cards in his entire Spurs career for a player who is known for his competitiveness is laudable.
A player that can be relied upon to give every last ounce of effort in every game and who, as we saw after the recent loss against Chelsea, is less than impressed if collective or individual standards dip.
Whether he is the club's most important player right now is a moot point, though he is certainly one of the leaders in the squad, and having signed for an initial £34.5m by the Lilywhites, he's arguably one of the bargain buys of recent seasons in the English top-flight.
Thomas Frank is now the grateful recipient of his services, though Postecoglou will clearly hold a special place in van de Ven's heart.
"We are happy for him (Postecoglou) and happy for the team," he noted after the Europa League triumph over Man Utd.
“Probably his critics will continue, but I do not care anymore. We proved them wrong. We won a trophy. They can say whatever they want. He's made history.”
