Jan Paul van Hecke: Tottenham agree deal for Brighton defender price £52m | Soccer Information
Tottenham have agreed a cope with Brighton to signal defender Jan Paul van Hecke.
The deal is believed to be round £52m and the participant has expressed his want to play underneath ‘father determine’ Roberto De Zerbi.
The centre-back solely wished to hitch Tottenham.
Roberto De Zerbi and Van Hecke labored collectively at Brighton
The Netherlands worldwide defender has one 12 months left on his contract at Brighton and performed at The Seagulls underneath De Zerbi between 2023 and 2024.
Brighton can be making a critical revenue on the 26-year-old, having signed him for £1.8m from NAC Breda in 2020.
The signing is a part of an enormous few weeks deliberate at Tottenham, with the membership decided to again De Zerbi out there and main adjustments deliberate.
The membership have a robust curiosity in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, whereas in addition they remained interested by Manchester Metropolis ahead Savinho.
Evaluation: De Zerbi’s switch plan clear at Spurs
Sky Sports activities’ Sam Blitz:
You do not must be a rocket scientist to work out what Tottenham are attempting to do on this switch window: Roberto De Zerbi is searching for centre-backs who’re higher on the ball.
In agreeing a deal for Van Hecke – having already secured the free switch of Marcos Senesi – Spurs are searching for wonderful ball progressors within the first section of play.
In Senesi and Van Hecke, De Zerbi is concentrating on two of the Premier League’s greatest on this particular space. These had been the highest two gamers within the league final season for bypassing defenders by passing the ball.
Fairly merely, they can absorb strain on the again and take opposition gamers out the sport by placing the ball via the strains.
Marcos Senesi and Van Hecke are two of one of the best ball-playing defenders within the Premier League
Underneath Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth, Senesi was used to a really direct, vertical fashion of play the place he would punch the ball via the thirds shortly.
Van Hecke, in the meantime, is accustomed to De Zerbi’s intense fashion of play having performed 50 matches underneath the Italian throughout their time collectively at Brighton.
That work has been constructed on by Fabian Hurzeler, who informed Sky Sports activities in 2024: “It helps that the coach I had right here earlier than was De Zerbi as a result of he built-in this fashion of play,” when requested about his defenders taking part in out from the again in harmful areas.
Spurs getting two ball-playing defenders is an indication that that is one thing they really feel they lack. The numbers again that up. Senesi and Van Hecke are a degree above Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven when it comes to passing capability.
If Spurs find yourself getting each gamers, what is going to it imply for Spurs’ present centre-halves?
