Jan Paul van Hecke is finally done with the waiting. The Dutch defender spoke publicly for the first time after his $52 million move from Brighton to Tottenham. And he made it clear who was behind the whole thing.
Roberto De Zerbi. Again.
The two worked together at Brighton. Once De Zerbi took over at Spurs and kept them in the Premier League on the final day, he went straight for his guy. Van Hecke had one year left on his Brighton contract after six years on the south coast. That timeline made the deal happen now.
The World Cup backdrop
Van Hecke is currently in Houston with the Netherlands. They play Sweden on Saturday. So this wasn’t a quiet deadline-day move. It played out while he was preparing for a tournament.
“A lot of calls,” Van Hecke said, laughing a little when asked about the days before the transfer went through. “And of course I was not involved the whole time in this subject. It’s important for me, and the head coach [Ronald Koeman] gave me the time on this transfer. I’m grateful for this because this is a great step forward in my professional career.”
Koeman apparently let Van Hecke handle the business side without forcing him to block it out entirely. That’s not always the case at a World Cup.
Brighton boost, Tottenham leap
Van Hecke didn’t sound bitter about leaving Brighton either. “I am proud to have played for Brighton. It boosted my confidence,” he said. “But now I will play for one of the most important clubs in England. It’s important for my future. But now I’m focused on the World Cup here.”
The transfer also pays back two clubs that helped develop him. NAC Breda gets around $3.5 million from a sell-on clause they included when Van Hecke left for Brighton in 2020. His youth club VV Goes will also get a cut. “It’s great for these two teams where I played,” he said. “I had youth training in the province of Zeeland, I played there six years. Goes will earn money thanks to this transfer. These clubs will be happy with this transfer and they deserve that.”
Uncle weighs in, Spurs add more pieces
Van Hecke’s uncle is Jan Poortvliet, the former Dutch international who played in the 1978 World Cup final. Poortvliet, now managing second-tier FC Eindhoven, told Dutch outlet sportnieuws that De Zerbi was the deciding factor. “Several clubs were interested but De Zerbi was clear and absolutely wanted him,” Poortvliet said. “Jan Paul would have been at the top of the list. He knows De Zerbi’s playing style well and had a fantastic season under him.”
Spurs also picked up Andy Robertson from Liverpool and Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth. Both came on free transfers. So Van Hecke isn’t the only new face in that back line. But he’s the one De Zerbi pushed for.
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