When Tottenham Hotspur first signed Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for 60 million pounds despite the player being 26 years of age and having just one year left on his contract with the Seagulls, many fans were skeptical. That is quite the chunk of change for a center back who is not a prospect and will be a free agent anyway, and it was a huge statement in support of Roberto De Zerbi to sign a former player of his that he clearly wanted badly.
Van Hecke is a very good Premier League center back, but he was not elite last season - and since Spurs could have signed Marc Guehi for around that much under similar circumstances last offseason but chose not to, the eyebrows were thus raised.
But any skepticism about Van Hecke was quickly transformed at the 2026 World Cup. Although the Netherlands had a couple of shaky games and were bounced out of the Round of 32 in heartbreaking fashion on penalties to Morocco, Van Hecke proved to be a standout for the Oranje and left the tournament with a bigger reputation that has Spurs fans buzzing.
Jan Paul van Hecke is no overpay now
One of the biggest reasons Roberto De Zerbi was so insistent on signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton no matter the cost, besides their previous relationship and his established play in the PRemier League, was his sheer activity on defense and elite ball playing. De Zerbi wants fiery competitors who are not afraid to rise to the moment and are willing to make things happen on the defensive end, by winning possession and passing the ball.
Van Hecke had the best ball playing performance of the World Cup in the final group stage match against Tunisia, and he finished the tournament with well over two tackles won per game, more than 90 pass attempts per match, and a pass completion percentage above 90, easily. He also had nearly five clearances per game.
The center back entering his prime played lights out and looked every bit the 60 million euro player that De Zerbi had him tabbed for. Van Hecke was dominant in the air, snapping into tackles on the ground, and passing the ball even better than top Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong with his ability to both recycle possession and meaningfully progress the ball as a center back. Now, the narrative on Van Hecke is not that he was an overpay at 60 million euros but that he may have even been a steal for De Zerbi.
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