Jan Paul van Hecke has already started to deliver what he was bought into Tottenham Hotspur to do, and it is flying under the radar.
Many pundits have already started being critical of Spurs’ summer business after their poor start to the season.
Van Hecke’s impact has also been questioned after the centre-back was part of a backline that conceded three against Brentford and twice against Newcastle.
However, the 26-year-old showcased his solidity alongside Micky van de Ven at the City Ground as Spurs emerged with a clean sheet against Forest, and the numbers suggest that he has been one of the best in the league in one metric.
Jan Paul van Hecke is playing line-breaking passes with impressive regularity for Tottenham
One can argue that the former Brighton man’s biggest attribute is his passing from the back, and with De Zerbi’s system reliant on centre-backs for the build-up, he appears a natural fit.
The numbers suggest that Van Hecke has certainly delivered in build-up, with FotMob revealing that he has managed 22 line-breaking passes in the three league games so far.
Interestingly, Marcos Senesi is second in the Spurs squad with 15 line-breaking passes, even though he has started just once.
Additionally, according to FotMob, Van Hecke has played the fourth-highest number of line-breaking passes across the Premier League so far, with only Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice and Marc Guehi having more.
Why Van Hecke can prove to be an upgrade on Cristian Romero over the long term
One of Cristian Romero’s best qualities was his ability in possession and the frequency with which he made line-breaking passes.
Van Hecke has already shown that he can not only match but outperform the Argentine in that particular skill set. While Romero is still arguably a better defender than the Dutchman, the former Brighton man is potentially more reliable.
If Van Hecke proves to be less injury-prone than the former Tottenham captain and less likely to get suspended, he could prove to be an upgrade on Romero.