Tottenham Hotspur have offiically secured the 60 million euro signing of Brighton star center back Jan Paul van Hecke, at the behest of new manager Roberto De Zerbi. Here are the three biggest winners and 3 biggest losers of Spurs first real blockbuster signing of the De Zerbi era.
Winner: Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi is the most obvious winner of the deal. He is the one who wanted Van Hecke far more than anybody else, as Van Hecke was his star pupil for him at Brighton. They have a very close relationship together, and the Italian manager sees the Dutch international as the key to his system with his ability on the ball. This was definitely a signing for De Zerbi, and he got his man.
Loser: Luka Vuskovic
The biggest loser is, by far, Luka Vuskovic. A phenom for Hamburg last season, Vuskovic and his camp seem to think that the player is 100 percent ready to start for Tottenham Hotspur, and while he was brilliant for Hamburg last season, De Zerbi and Spurs still see some flaws and want him on loan again. Vuskovic won't like that, but he really has no choice at this point; Spurs sure as heck will not sell for half his market value.
Winner: Micky van de Ven
Micky van de Ven has been starting at left back for the Dutch national team with Jan Paul van Hecke as the legendary Virgil van Dijk's center back partner, and the two have a very good relationship. With Spurs looking to keep Van de Ven around for the long haul, signing a friend of his in the defense as his new center back partner is a brilliant move.
Loser: Liverpool
Liverpool want to sign Van de Ven, and they still want to steal the rapid quick Dutchman from N17. At the same time, Van Hecke also has the quality and skill set that a club with defensive depth questions and reeling from the loss of Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid for free could have used. With Van Hecke joining Spurs and potentially increasing Van de Ven's desire to stay, Arne Slot and Liverpool are unsung losers here.
Winner: The Tottenham midfield
The Tottenham midfield will love having a great pure ball playing center back like van Hecke to work with them and help them in the build up phases. He will make their lives a whole lot easier next season, as Spurs do need that kind of quality in more than just one player.
Loser: Marcos Senesi
Marcos Senesi is a great ball playing center back who had an awesome season for Bournemouth, even better than Van Hecke, actually. But Spurs are paying 60 million euros for Van Hecke. They are paying him to be the starter, and he is Roberto De Zerbi's personal pick. Senesi will only be the third choice center back in the rotation now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google