adminTottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has officially revealed his captaincy hierarchy for the 2026–27 season as Spurs prepare to enter a new chapter under the Italian coach.
The new Premier League campaign is now approaching, with Tottenham set to begin their season away against Brentford at the Gtech Stadium.
Spurs will be determined to start strongly after enduring a disappointing previous campaign that saw them dragged into a relegation battle. De Zerbi will be hoping his side can put that difficult period behind them and quickly establish themselves as a competitive Premier League outfit.
The Italian has used pre-season to assess his squad, understand his players and introduce his tactical ideas. With preparations now nearing completion, De Zerbi will be looking for his team to translate that work into results when the competitive action begins.
De Zerbi confirms new Tottenham captain
De Zerbi has now settled the question of who will wear the captain’s armband during the upcoming campaign.
James Maddison had previously been tipped to succeed Cristian Romero as Tottenham’s captain, but De Zerbi has opted for a different choice.
Instead, Micky van de Ven has been selected as Spurs’ first-choice captain, with the Dutch defender taking on the responsibility of leading the team on the pitch.
The full captaincy order is:
- Micky van de Ven
- Pedro Porro
- Ben Davies
- James Maddison
- Archie Gray
De Zerbi explained his decision, saying: “The new captain is Micky van de Ven. Second Pedro Porro, third Ben Davies, fourth James Maddison and fifth Archie Gray. Why five? Because I want as many captains as possible and they all deserve to be captains.”
The decision means Maddison will not be the club’s primary leader despite previously being viewed as a strong candidate for the role.
Some Tottenham supporters had already expressed concerns about the midfielder potentially becoming captain, particularly because of his history of injuries and the amount of time he has spent unavailable.
Maddison could still captain Spurs against Brentford
Interestingly, Maddison could still find himself wearing the armband in Tottenham’s opening Premier League fixture.
Van de Ven has not featured during pre-season, while Pedro Porro has only recently returned following the World Cup. Ben Davies is also not expected to start against Brentford.
That could leave Maddison as the most senior available member of De Zerbi’s captaincy group.
However, even Maddison’s involvement from the start is not guaranteed after he played only 45 minutes against Hoffenheim.
Should Maddison also be left out of the starting XI, the responsibility could fall to Archie Gray, who is fifth in De Zerbi’s captaincy hierarchy.
Either way, Van de Ven’s appointment marks a significant decision from De Zerbi as he looks to establish his leadership structure and begin Tottenham’s new era on a positive note.
admin
