The 64-year-old board member has been quoted by Kicker commenting on the Tottenham defender and midfielder Felix Nmecha, who both left the club this summer.

Van de Ven joined Tottenham in a €40m deal as part of their rebuild this summer, with Spurs paying big money for the youngster who is expected to have a big future ahead of him following his two years in Germany.

He had joined Wolfsburg from FC Volendam for €10.5m in August 2021 and established himself as a star of the future with the club with a series of impressive performances in the heart of their defence.

It meant he was linked with several Premier League sides this summer, including Liverpool, but it was eventually Tottenham who splashed the cash to secure his signature.

The Dutchman was not the only major departure from Wolfsburg this summer, with midfielder Felix Nmecha also deciding to leave and join Borussia Dortmund in a €30m deal.

Those were deals that the German side would have preferred not to sanction if they could, with Witter confirming as much with his comments.

“The fact that they are gone hurts the sport at first, but that’s just business,” Kicker report him saying on the duos departures.