We have heard constantly from people, including James Maddison before the 3-1 win for Tottenham Hotspur over Coventry, that new signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Roberto De Zerbi's old club Brighton has the most special place in the heart of the Italian manager and is truly like a son to the new manager.
Van Hecke has had a bit of a mixed set of reviews from Tottenham and even Dutch national team fans, who wildly praise his elite passing and work on the ball but are still unconvinced by his speed and some of the choppiness defensively.
But when you look a the sheer positives and the quality of the player, Van Hecke does a lot of good for Tottenham, and that good is magnified when he can focus on making interventions, passing the ball, winning possession, and being a loud and bold player rather than having to guard himself against taking risks or making mistakes.
Jan Paul van Hecke can thrive in a back three
On Monday Night Football, Tottenham Hotspur rolled with a surprise back three, which is a formation that actually led to some of their best football early in the 2025/26 season under Thomas Frank before it was abandoned. They even gave PSG a run for their mone right off the bat in the UEFA Supercup with his formation.
Tottenham had their first win of the 2026/27 Premier League season against Coventry with Roberto De Zerbi departing from his usual setup, starting Micky Van de Ven on the left and Tosin Adarabioyo on the right. And while it is no surprise that these two players liked the back three, Van Hecke may have been the biggest benefactor.
He was tremendous on Monday in the win over Coventry. The 26 year old Dutch national team star was phenomenal as a passer with a team leading 94 pass attempts and a key pass, and he was even better as a defender with an interception and a team high two blocked shots and three tackles. And he also tied his compatriot Van de Ven for the Tottenham lead with five clearances.
Again, Jan Paul van Hecke isn't the perfect player, and he didn't even have one of his best five games of the season as a passer vs. Coventry. But he really was able to shine more as a defender and take risks to put his body on the line to break plays up.
That Libero role for him, except a more forward Libero role rather than the traditional sweeper, seems to suit him well. In this central position, he can come up and pass - and even pass into chance creating areas - more, and he can also defend more aggressively with more backing around him. He is another player, like Archie Gray, who will want De Zerbi to go with a back three more, and if it benefits him, knowing how strong the relationship between coach and player is in this case, it could be a move De Zerbi chooses to go for again.
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