Tottenham Hotspur have kicked off an imperative summer by adding a pair of free agents to boost a defence that improved drastically once Roberto De Zerbi took the reins.
Liverpool stalwart Andy Robertson provides cover and plenty of intangibles at left-back, while Marcos Senesi could've made his way to a club competing in the Champions League, but instead bought into De Zerbi's north London project.
That, you'd say, is the left-hand side of the defence sorted.
However, Cristian Romero's uncertain future has thrust a state of proactivity upon an unpopular hierarchy. With the captain expecting to depart, Spurs have already gone in search of a replacement. Brighton & Hove Albion's Jan Paul van Hecke has been identified as the ideal candidate, with De Zerbi working with the Dutchman on the south coast.
Brighton, though, have so far rebuffed two approaches from the Lilywhites.
Spurs want to strike Van Hecke deal before Sunday
Much has been done to get this deal over the line. De Zerbi's excellent relationship with the player means Van Hecke has reportedly agreed personal terms, and once Spurs reach an agreement with the Seagulls, we should be getting a "Here We Go!"
According to The Athletic's Jay Harris (via The Spurs Express on X), Spurs want to secure Van Hecke's services before the Netherlands begin their World Cup campaign against Japan on Sunday.
The clock is ticking...
Various outlets believe a third Spurs bid to be imminent, and it'll be interesting to see how willing the Lilywhites are to give into Brighton's demands. Despite Van Hecke having just a year left on his contract, they value him as highly as £70m. We surely won't go there, with a third bid in the region of £50m reported. It's still a lot, don't get me wrong, but the club will hope to recoup a similar fee when they sell Romero later in the summer.
We can only hope the World Cup aids his stock greatly after it took a significant hit last season.
Passing Sunday's deadline is no disaster, because Van Hecke can't team up with De Zerbi's squad until after the tournament anyway. Spurs just want to get wrap up the deal as soon as possible and move on. There's still plenty of work to be done, and it looks like our attention will move onto reinventing an attack that suffered mightily in the absence of playmakers and Mohammed Kudus last season.
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