Jan Paul van Hecke has revealed more about the conversations that took place before he joined Tottenham Hotspur, with Roberto De Zerbi playing a key role in convincing the defender about a move to north London.
It has been a busy summer transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur as they look to bolster their squad following their disappointing showing last season, where they finished 17th.
Spurs needed a final-day victory against Everton to secure their Premier League status after having been embroiled in a full-on relegation scrap for most of the second half of the campaign.
With six new signings through the door and more still expected before the window slams shut, Tottenham will be hoping to have done enough to improve on their displays from last season.
Jan Paul van Hecke reveals what Roberto De Zerbi told him before Tottenham transfer
One of Tottenham’s biggest signings, Jan Paul van Hecke, has now revealed exactly when head coach Roberto De Zerbi looked to sign him.
Speaking about his relationship with De Zerbi, to football.london, Van Hecke explained how the pair remained close after the Italian left Brighton in 2024 and how the Tottenham boss had continued to express his desire to work with him again.
He said: “We have a really good bond. We kept in contact. We text each other, we call each other sometimes,” said Van Hecke. “He always said ‘I hope you will play in my team again’, and now I am, so that’s really nice.”
However, despite the bond shared by the pair, van Hecke came remarkably close to sending Tottenham down. It was the Dutchman’s assist that set up Georginio Rutter for a last‑gasp Brighton equaliser at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April.
De Zerbi has since confirmed he sent him a rather sweary message afterwards.
The Spurs boss said: “After the [final day] Everton game, I sent the message ‘F*** off, you wanted to send down Tottenham for Brighton when you made the assist, now you have to come to me, yes or yes, you have no choice!'” admitted the Italian.
“It was straight after the game, right in my office in the stadium, I sent a message to my daughter, and then JP.”
Jan Paul van Hecke reveals Spurs’ plans for more signings
Van Hecke also revealed what he was told about Tottenham’s plans for further additions after he joined the club.
Spurs have splashed big money this summer, with £185 million going toward the purchase of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali costing £85 million and £100 million respectively.
New additions are still expected, with De Zerbi confirming that Tottenham are in the market for forwards. Van Hecke has now confirmed that Tottenham promised to show ambition when he was signed.
He said: “That’s what the club said to me. ‘You’re one of them’, and of course it’s also nice that you’re the first one or one of the first ones. And they say there will be more signings, more good players, then you see other players coming as well. So that’s a really good thing,”
He went on to praise the quality of Tottenham’s new arrivals and the players already at the club, while acknowledging that the squad now needs to show what it can achieve.
“They’re top-quality players, Premier League-proven players, talented players. And on top of that, we already have some good players, a lot of good players here. That could be a real combination, but now we need to show that.”
He added: “The last two seasons, apart from winning the Europa League, have not been good, but you can see now there’s a change in direction. Everyone’s really excited. New players coming in and already strong players here.
“And then a good combination with a really good coach. Tottenham need to be back at the top, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”