After weeks of pushing hard to sign the player, Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur have landed their No. 1 choice center back transfer target, as Joost Blaauwhof of Voetbal International and other transfer journalists have confirmed the signing of Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton.
Van Hecke shares a close relationship with Spurs manager De Zerbi, who was his coach at Brighton and helped him produce the best football of his career. De Zerbi remains smitten with Van Hecke, who made it clear to Brighton and other clubs that he only wanted Spurs.
Even with just one year left on his contract, Brighton were able to extract 60 million euros from Tottenham for this transfer, such was the desire of De Zerbi to sign him. Van Hecke becomes the third player to join Spurs this summer already after the free agent defensive duo of Andrew Robertson and Marcos Senesi.
Here are three top players who could be next to join Tottenham after Van Hecke.
Newcastle DM Sandro Tonali
The next obsession of Roberto De Zerbi appears to be Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali, who is one of the best midfielders available in the Premier League this summer transfer window with clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal whispered in transfer rumors.
But nobody is showing more interest right now than Spurs, who are overwhelming favorites to sign Tonali because of De Zerbi's sheer interest in the player. Tonali has not quite become the world class center midfielder he was destined to be at Brescia and AC Milan when people were comparing him to Andrea Pirlo, but in a more attacking side like under De Zerbi, Tonali could yet be the Italian regista the world is missing.
Manchester City LW Savinho
Manchester City star Savinho has been on Tottenham Hotspur's transfer radar for about a year now, but this summer feels like a different story when it comes to Spurs chances of signing the Brazilian international. Man City are likely more willing to sell with Pep Guardiola gone, and the spots in the lineup are more sparse for Savinho after Rayan Cherki's breakout to true superstardom and then the signing of established Premier League star winger Antoine Semenyo in the winter transfer window.
Savinho can play on either flank with that left foot of his, and while his goal scoring attributes are not quite what Spurs ideally want on the left, he is an explosive wide playmaker who takes players on and causes chaos. And that is a player Spurs still do need, as Mohammed Kudus is the only take on artist for Spurs right now.
RB Leipzig LW Yan Diomande
Yan Diomande is probably a pipe dream at this point, but, well, nobody backed Tottenham to sign Jan Paul van Hecke and Sandro Tonali, but Tottenham are close to securing both of these players and are also in talks with Savinho.
Unlike the other two, Tottenham are not formally in the Diomande sweepstakes right now, but they have been linked. Liverpool and the world's biggest clubs want him, but Tottenham need to have the mentality that they are as big as the Reds in order to finally start competing with them in the Premier League again.
Diomande is a special teenage winger who was as good as any player in the Bundesliga not named Harry Kane or Michael Olise, two literal Ballon d'Or favorites. His stock is going to go through the roof at the World Cup, but this is a guy Spurs need to try for.
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