“You can see the club has a new ambition. It’s something that’s really important for players who have been here for a long time.
“Last season was a stressful season, unacceptable from our side, so to leave all of that behind and go into the new season fresh means a lot.”
Tottenham have finished 17th in the Premier League in back-to-back seasons and their battle to stay in the top flight ran to the final day of the 2025-2026 campaign.
After a turbulent nine months featuring three managers, Van de Ven said he is looking forward to a brighter future under De Zerbi.
“It’s going to be different compared to the manager we had last season,” Van de Ven said.
“It’s also going to be more enjoyable for people to watch because we’ll be playing offensive football.
“It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down.”
Van Der Valk returns to our screens tonight with three more headscratching investigations on the way.
Hayley Anderson Screen Time TV Reporter
19:05, 02 Aug 2026Updated 19:08, 02 Aug 2026
Inside Van Der Valk season 4 filming locations(Image: ITV)
Van Der Valk fans are eager to know all there is about season four ahead of its ITV debut tonight.
Season four of the hit ITV detective dramaVan Der Valk begins this evening, Sunday, August 2, at 8pm, the first of three feature-length episodes set to air every week.
As always, Piet Van Der Valk will be portrayed by Band of Brothers star Marc Warren, who will be joined by Maimie McCoy as Lucienne Hassell, Emma Fielding as Julia Dahlman and Darrell D’Silva as Hendrik Davie.
UK fans have been waiting for three years for the show’s return with season four first released in America in 2024.
But now the wait is finally over so here’s everything there is to know about Van Der Valk’s filming locations for season four.
Where is ITV Van Der Valk season 4 filmed?
As Van Der Valk is a Dutch detective drama, like previous series, season four has been filmed entirely in the Netherlands, primarily in the capital city of Amsterdam.
Some of its standout locations include The Canal Belts, also known as the Grachtengordel, the historic 14km waterways built during the 17th Century Dutch Golden Age.
Other key spots include Cafe Scheltema which is frequently featured when the detectives gather for debriefs and their breakthroughs, as well as the Amstel River.
Along with Amsterdam, some additional shots are filmed in nearby cities like Utrecht and The Hague.
Warren previously opened up about shooting a season one scene at the iconic Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam which he hailed as “amazing”.
“Being on my own, looking up at Rembrandt’s The Night Watch at midnight, I was just thinking, ‘How do these things happen?’, he told Radio Times.
“Just before we shot that, they brought a guy in on a stretcher to give him a private view of the painting. It was his dying wish.
“An hour or two later, I was standing there alone with this masterpiece.”
Van Der Valk season four premieres tonight, Sunday, August 2, at 8pm, on ITV.
One of the most entertaining riders in the race was Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easypost. He toiled earlier in the race before coming into great form to claim the king of the mountains’ polka dot jersey.
He won stage 18 and Saturday’s stage 20 after topping the race’s highest point first and after 5,450km of climbing.
The green points jersey was awarded to Pedersen of Lidl-Trek, after tenacious riding on climbs he is not typically strong on to hoover up mid-stage points, alongside winning stage four.
He beat a number of sprinters to the jersey, including Japser Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech. Philipsen won stage 17 and fellow Belgian Tim Merlier of Soudal-Quick Step won three bunch sprint stages.
Tour de France stage 21 results
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Premier Tech) 1hr 58mins 49secs
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Premier Tech) same time
3. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek)
4. Max Kanter (Ger/XDS-Astana)
5. Olav Kooij (Ned/Decathlon-CMA CGM)
6. Matej Mohoric (Slo/Bahrain-Victorious)
7. Rick Pluimers (Ned/Tudor Pro-cycling)
8. Anthony Turgis (Fra/Total Energies)
9. Milan Fretin (Bel/Cofidis)
10. Clement Russo (Fra/Groupama-FDJ United)
Tour de France general classification after stage 21
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 73hrs 56mins 26secs
Gerwyn Price produced a clinical display to beat Ross Smith 16-12 in the World Matchplay quarter-finals, setting up a meeting with Gian van Veen in the last four.
The Welshman looked to be in control of the last-eight tie at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens before Smith fought back from 12-8 down to draw level.
However, Price was able to raise his game again to seal victory with a 102.78 average as he bids to reach the final of the tournament for the first time.
“Ross played a decent game as well, so it’s nice to play well when someone is playing well. It gives you a bit of confidence going into the next round,” Price told Sky Sports.
“For him to get back to 12-12, I thought ‘here we go again’, but thankfully I rode off four legs on the bounce.”
Price will play Van Veen of the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Saturday after the Dutchman chalked up a 16-13 win over spirited James Wade.
Van Veen seized the upper hand early on and had a three-leg cushion at 11-7, only for Wade to battle back and get on level terms at 11-11.
Englishman Wade kept pegging Van Veen back until the third seed produced a 118 checkout to break Wade’s throw to go 14-12 up before he wrapped up victory.
“It was a tight battle, but I’m glad I got the job done,” Van Veen said.
“I was so lucky James wasn’t scoring as well and my finishing got me through. Hopefully in the semis I will be a lot better.”
Defending champion and world number one Luke Littler faces unseeded Dirk van Duijvenbode in the other semi-final, after they won through on Thursday.
Follow live coverage of the semi-finals on the BBC Sport website and app from 19:30 BST on Saturday.
ONE couple ditched pricey holidays to Thailand, Costa Rica and the Maldives for staycations – after renovating a carpenter’s van.
Andy and Claire Stocks, who hail from Barnsley, opted for UK road trips after deciding to buy a run-down van to convert.
Andy and Claire travel all over the UK in their motorhomeCredit: Claire & Andy StocksThey’ve fallen in love with exploring UK destinations – like HartlepoolCredit: Alamy
The couple now go away every week and document their travels on their YouTube Channel – and they’ve just published a book It Started with a Van detailing all of their staycation adventures.
When the pair first ditched far-flung destinations for the UK, it’s safe to say their friends were dubious.
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Andy explained: “People that knew us from before doing this would have never thought we’d be fans of motorhomes.
“We were always going to exotic places rather than staying at campsites.”
But since owning a van, which has since been traded in for a newer motorhome model, the pair have ventured all over the UK.
Claire admitted: “I don’t think we ever appreciated how beautiful the UK is and we go everywhere – one of my favourite places is actually Hartlepool.”
“We went with no real expectations but we saw dolphins in the sea there – it blew our minds.”
Andy added: “We’ve found some great waterfalls in the UK too – which we actually went all the way to Costa Rica to see.
“But actually there are loads in North Yorkshire like Janet’s Foss and Malham Cove.”
Other places they’ve explored are Glastonbury which Andy described as an “amazing spiritual town”.
The pair travelled all the way across to Lake Como in their vanCredit: Claire & Andy StocksIn the UK, the couple discovered the beautiful Janet’s Foss waterfallCredit: Alamy
In the Yorkshire Dales, the couple stopped by The Strid which as Claire explained is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world.
When it comes to campsites, Claire and Andy like to mix it up from five-star sites to cheaper options with beautiful sea views.
Talking about one of their most memorable stays, Andy said: “There’s a campsite on the Isle of Mull called Fidden Farm.
“You turn up and can park wherever you like, but as it’s coastal, you stay right on the white beach.
“It has the best sunsets that you could possibly wish for and so wild – you get every season within around 15-minutes.”
Fidden Farm on the Isle of Mull is on a white sandy beachCredit: Fidden Farm
Pitches start from £14 per night per adult, and £7 per night for children.
When it came to five-star stays, the couple said the Concierge Camping in Chichester was one of their favourites.
Claire admitted it’s “one of the best campsites I’ve ever been to”,
The campsite even has ‘award-winning washrooms’ which is perfect for those who don’t enjoy the classic camping toilet situation.
It has granite-topped wash areas, complimentary toiletries and lots of the facilities have underfloor heating.
Sun Travel found pitches from £73 per night.
On occasion, Andy and Claire head over to Europe. At one point they explored seven countries including Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, France, Belgium and Italy in two weeks.
And for anyone driving across to France in a motorhome, they suggest you check into an Aire.
Andy called Glastonbury an ‘amazing spiritual town’Credit: Alamy Claire was amazed when she saw dolphins off the coast of HartlepoolCredit: Alamy Stock Photo
‘Aire’ is short for the French term ‘aire de service’ – which essentially is a free or cheap motorhome camping area.
Andy explained: “We used Aires on a trip to Normandy, they’re really basic campsites but they’re about €10 a night so it’s a really cheap way to get around.”
Claire added: “You don’t have to book either, and they’re spotlessly clean and lots of them have beautiful views as well.”
“There’s a lovely one outside of Honfleur,” said Andy. “And from there you can just walk into the town.”
Talking about whether it’s made travelling any cheaper, Andy confessed it hasn’t as he never saw any return on his original van.
But he added: “I don’t talk about money – but it’s all experience. That’s how the book ends, it’s not about money, it’s about your life.”
A federal prosecutor in Texas has shared new details about the moments before an immigration officer shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo that cast doubt about the government’s claim that the man struck an ICE vehicle before he was shot.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national and longtime American resident, on July 7 as he was driving to a Houston construction job site with three co-workers, including his brother. ICE has acknowledged he was not the target of the operation.
The shooting sparked protests in the nation’s fourth-largest city, echoing Salgado Araujo’s family’s calls for transparency. The family describes him as a hardworking father who was close to obtaining legal status in the U.S. after living in the country for 35 years.
The shooting came just days before two other men were killed, in Florida and Maine, in confrontations in President Trump’s federal immigration crackdown, renewing scrutiny on the Department of Homeland Security’s law enforcement tactics.
Aaron Reitz, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said for the first time Thursday that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation. He said they were driving a van similar to the one Salgado Araujo was driving when he was killed. In an earlier statement released the day Salgado Araujo was killed, Homeland Security said he was targeted in an immigration enforcement operation and he was living in the country without legal permission.
Reitz also said that the officers believed that Salgado Araujo and the passengers in his car fit the description of the Guatemalan men the agents were looking for.
Four officers driving two separate law enforcement vehicles attempted to pull over Salgado Araujo’s van using their police lights. Salgado Araujo then made a U-turn and drove over a median to evade getting pulled over, Reitz said.
Later that morning, the officers again encountered Salgado Araujo’s van and for the second time tried to pull him over, this time essentially surrounding the vehicle, Reitz said. Two of the four agents got out of their cars and told Salgado Araujo to put the vehicle in park. Just before he was shot, one of the agents was “partially inside the van or immediately next to it” when Salgado Araujo tried to reverse the van and then drive forward again, Reitz said.
An earlier Homeland Security statement accused Salgado Araujo of “weaponizing” his vehicle. The agency said he rammed his van into a law enforcement vehicle and said an officer opened fire in self-defense. The most recent statement from the U.S attorney’s office, however, didn’t mention any collision between Salgado Araujo’s van and a law enforcement vehicle. It also didn’t explicitly say that the officer feared for his life. There are no reported injuries among the officers involved.
The latest statement didn’t name the officer who killed Salgado Araujo, nor did it specify whether the officer who fired the shot was the same person who was next to, or partially inside, the van.
Reitz also said in the statement that officers “saw in plain view several small bags of a white, crystal-like substance inside the van” and that the FBI later executed a search warrant to investigate for possible illicit substances.
Salgado Araujo’s brother, who was in the van when the shooting happened, has been in ICE detention since the incident. His attorney said the white substance was a salt mixture that the men used as electrolytes to stay hydrated while doing manual labor in the grueling Texas heat.
Few photos or videos surrounding the shooting in Houston have emerged on social media, unlike other deaths involving federal immigration officers.
A couple converted an £8k van during the pandemic, despite having no experience, and since then have swapped exotic trips abroad for staycations to some very unusual UK locations
The couple have semi-retired and work on a YouTube channel(Image: Read Media Ltd/Andy and Claire Stocks)
A “battered” carpenter’s van that cost £8,000 changed the course of one couple’s lives after they turned it into a home on wheels.
Andy and Claire Stocks, also known as St Christopher of Atlantisto more than 45,000 followers on YouTube, have swapped foreign holidays for staycations in their van, sharing their adventures across the UK’s underrated spots with their fans.
The Barnsley couple fell into van life accidentally, taking on the task of turning a van into a motorhome after their Mercedes broke down during the pandemic and they were unable to get parts. “It started to get this intermittent fault on the dashboard and I didn’t really want to part with the car, but it got worse and worse, and it was coming up more and more,” Andy explained.
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“I was a little bit annoyed at it. So, I decided to buy a van instead. I just kind of threw the teddy out of the pram because the car that I liked, I couldn’t have.”
But that van ended up being life-changing for the couple. They swapped exotic jaunts to hotels and Airbnbs in the Far East and Central America for simpler staycations, and have now semi-retired to spend more time on the road and focus on their YouTube channel.
The couple has also turned their adventures into a book: It Started with a Van, due to be released in paperback on July 16. The story begins with them finding a van and deciding to give vanlife a go, with Andy noting he had no experience and “an unrealistic amount of confidence” when he took on the project.
Andy admitted that the start of the project had its hitches. “The first job that I had to do – there’s a bulkhead that separates the cab from the back to stop things flying into the cabin. So, I had to remove that. I thought that was going to be a really easy job. And I started taking the bolts out, and they were all good apart from one bolt, and that took me two weeks to actually get rid of. So it kind of set the tone for everything else that followed.”
While they learned some skills from YouTube and a book on conversions, the couple went into the project blind, doing jobs after work in the winter whenever they had enough light.
In addition to the initial cost of £8,000 for the van, the couple spent a “few thousand” on the renovations, although they haven’t worked out the true amount. Andy joked: “I might be in trouble with her if I did.”
Their first trip in the van was to Conwy in Wales, and it took place with the build half-done. The couple admitted it was less glamorous than many vanlife influencers would have you believe.
“I was trying to sell the lifestyle to Claire. What actually happened was we sat in a car park with a sandwich. On the bare floor,” laughed Andy.
As they worked on the van the couple had the idea to put updates on their progress on YouTube. They have since built a base of thousands of subscribers. But at first, the reception wasn’t quite what they expected.
Andy said: “When we put it out on YouTube, I think people thought it was a bit of a joke. Some of the initial comments were, ‘Oh, that was really funny. That was, you know, you made me laugh.’ And actually, that wasn’t your intention at all.
“No, I put my best foot forward thinking this would show people how to build a van, but they thought it was more of a funny sort of parody type thing really.”
However, they persevered and have now cut their work days to three a week to allow them to spend more time in the van and creating YouTube content.
In a typical day, the couple travel to a campsite and create a video tour of the facilities. “A lot of people book campsites off the back of us. We turn up, we set the pitch up, then we grab the cameras, and then we will go and tour the campsite and the surrounding area. And then when we’ve done that, we come back to the motor home and we’re working basically,” Andy said.
“The illusion is that we are out and just on campsites and enjoying ourselves., But we’re editing, we’re dealing with the social media side, the comments. And so it’s like our motor home now, it’s a bit like an office on wheels.”
Despite the success of their build, Andy conceded that if they had to do it all again, he’d “probably get somebody else to build it because I really found out what my limits were.”
After enjoying adventures that took them all the way to Italy through Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, plus lots of staycations, the couple eventually traded in their carpenter’s van, opting to buy a motorhome instead.
As a couple on the road all the time, Andy and Claire noted that living in tight quarters can lead to annoyances. Their original van had no separate seating area, just a bed, and no built-in toilet, so they had to rely on campsite facilities and stay “mega organised” to cope.
The couple also dealt with breakdowns and an incident where they ended up trapped in a full-blown blizzard. Perhaps most memorable was when they ended up in completely the wrong place.
Andy said: “We did have an occasion where we put in the wrong location into the satnav. I went to the completely incorrect country. It said we should have been somewhere in France. We ended up in Belgium.”
Debunking a common myth, Andy and Claire say they like to support the local economies in places they visit, often highlighting local cafes, bars, and shops on their channel.
And their trip highlights? The Isle of Mull was a favourite of Claire’s as it has “the most wonderful sunset we’ve ever seen”. She recommended a campsite called Fidden Farmand said: “And the beaches truly are white beaches up there”, comparing it to the Maldives.
Andy’s favourite was a little more unusual: “This is a really random place that we would never expect it. We went to Hartlepool Marina and we saw dolphins. It was so beautiful, kind of an industrial location actually, but then you look up and you’re watching the dolphins.Goodness!
“The Northeast is a bit like that. You know, you can be on a beach and you look one way and there’s industry, but then you look the other way and you’ve got wildlife. Everywhere has got something going for it.”
So, will Andy and Claire ever hang up their motorhome keys? The couple said that they’d like to stay on the road for as long as possible. “We are quite young to be motorhomers. The demographic of our channel is a lot of people that are older than us. So, we’ve got all that to go and we’ll do it as long as we enjoy it,” Andy added.
And his advice to anyone thinking of taking on this kind of life? “Just do it now while you can. Just do whatever you want to do. Get out and do it. That’s my advice.”
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Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has apologised after saying that Japan players “all look alike” during their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.
Van der Vaart, 43, was working as a pundit for Dutch broadcaster NOS TV when he made the remark after Micky van de Ven lost Koki Ogawa’s run for Japan’s late equaliser.
“They all look alike, of course, maybe he thought that,” the former Netherlands international said when analysing Van de Ven’s defending.
Van der Vaart, who was capped 109 times and was part of the Dutch team that lost in the 2010 World Cup final, has apologised for causing any offence.
He said: “It was never my intention to offend, hurt, or discriminate against anyone. I oppose racism in all its forms and have respect for people of every background, ethnicity, and culture.
“I understand that some people may have found my words offensive or hurtful. I sincerely regret that.
“If my comment has caused pain or upset, I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies. That was never my intention.”
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out criticised Van der Vaart and called for broadcasters to be more careful.
A joint statement from Kick It Out and the Frank Soo Foundation, external, a charity that supports East and South East Asian communities, said: “It’s hugely disappointing to hear former players peddling racist slurs about Japan’s team and then double down by trying to defend the comments as a joke.
“Even if he claims there was no racist intent in what he said, the comments can still have an impact on those involved, and the wider East and South East Asian community, as we have seen with previous examples directed towards players.
“The World Cup attracts massive global TV audiences, so it’s always important that guests are careful with their language and that broadcasters take responsibility for those appearing on their shows, whether that is through additional education or training.”
Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52m deal with Brighton for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke.
The 26-year-old started in his country’s 2-2 draw with Japan on Sunday at the World Cup.
Van Hecke has a year left on his current Brighton contract and showed no inclination to extend the deal.
Brighton had already turned down one offer for a player who joined them from NAC Breda in 2020.
However, they have now accepted Tottenham’s offer, which should clear the way to Van Hecke rejoining former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi in north London.
The deal also includes a significant sell-on clause with Brighton profiting further should Spurs sell the player.
Van Hecke made 131 appearances for the Seagulls and started 36 out of 38 Premier League games for Fabian Hurzeler’s side last season as they secured an eighth-place finish. That secured European qualification for only the second time in the club’s history.
Tottenham have already strengthened De Zerbi’s squad in an effort to improve markedly on successive 17th-placed finishes.
Scotland defender Andy Robertson has already signed from Liverpool, with Argentinian centre-half Marcos Senesi agreeing a move from Bournemouth.
Real Madrid to join Mateus Fernandes race, Brighton reject Spurs’ second Jan Paul van Hecke bid and Harry Maguire could leave Manchester United.
Real Madrid are set to join the race to sign Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes, 21, following West Ham‘s relegation from the Premier League. (Sun), external
Liverpool could use Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, 27, as leverage in their bid to sign Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, 19, from RB Leipzig. (Teamtalk), external
Bayern Munich have said they have no intention of selling Michael Olise after Real Madrid said they would offer £130m for the France winger, 24. (Bild – in German), external
Bernardo Silva says that joining Barcelona is “an option” after leaving Manchester City but the Portugal midfielder, 31, is yet to make a decision on his future. (Marca – in Spanish), external
Coventry City have submitted a club-record £20m bid for Carl Rushworth, the 24-year-old English goalkeeper who helped the Sky Blues win the Championship while on loan from Brighton last season. (Talksport), external
