With Tottenham Hotspur continuing their pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke this summer, we have now taken a look at the shirt numbers he could wear at the club.
While Tottenham Hotspur continue their pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke ahead of next season, many fans have made their feelings clear, insisting the club should not be paying £70 million for a centre-back with just 12 months left on his contract.
Brighton have already turned down Tottenham’s initial bid for van Hecke after it fell below their £50-70 million valuation.
However, Spurs do not appear to be backing down in their pursuit. Spurs Web recently reported that Tottenham are preparing a second offer for van Hecke as they remain determined to land the Dutchman.
It is understood that the Lilywhites hope to secure a deal before the World Cup begins as they look to fend off interest from Liverpool and Chelsea.
Tottenham shirt numbers Jan Paul van Hecke could wear
Should a deal eventually be completed, an announcement would arrive before supporters hear from the Dutchman for the first time.
The 25-year-old centre-back would also have to choose a shirt number, and Spurs Web has now taken a look at what his decision could potentially be.
Looking across van Hecke’s career, there is no single shirt number the defender has consistently stuck with throughout his playing days.
He currently wears the number six shirt at Brighton, although that has changed regularly over the last four seasons, with the Dutchman previously wearing number 29 during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns.
At Blackburn Rovers during the 2021-22 season, he wore the number 25 shirt, while at SC Heerenveen he used number 14 during the 2020-21 campaign.
Across his senior career, van Hecke has also worn the numbers 20, 15, 35 and 41 during his two-year spell at NAC Breda.
| Season | Club | Van Hecke shirt number |
| 25/26 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 |
| 24/25 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 29 |
| 23/24 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 29 |
| 22/23 | Brighton & Hove Albion U21 | 4 |
| 22/23 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 29 |
| 21/22 | Blackburn Rovers | 25 |
| 20/21 | SC Heerenveen | 3 |
| 19/20 | NAC Breda U21 | 20 |
| 19/20 | NAC Breda | 20 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda | 15 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda | 35 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda | 41 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda U21 | 5 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda U21 | 17 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda U21 | 24 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda U21 | 43 |
| 18/19 | NAC Breda U19 | 12 |
Spurs have several available shirt numbers for Jan Paul van Hecke
With such randomness in his shirt selections over the years, it is fair to assume the Dutchman could take any available number at Tottenham.
At present, the numbers 2, 5, 6, 12 and 26 are all vacant. The number two shirt was last worn by Matt Doherty, while number five became available following Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s departure last summer.
The number six shirt van Hecke currently wears at Brighton is also expected to become free, with Joao Palhinha set to leave Spurs after the club failed to trigger the option-to-buy clause in his loan deal, meaning the Portuguese midfielder is expected to return to Bayern Munich.
Number 12 was last worn by Emerson Royal, while number 26 remains unofficially retired after Ledley King last wore it in 2012.
The numbers 25 and 29 shirts, both previously worn by van Hecke, are currently occupied by Kota Takai and Pape Matar Sarr, respectively, while numbers 15 and 20 belong to Lucas Bergvall and Mohammed Kudus.
Number 35 is currently worn by Ashley Phillips, whereas 41 is now vacant following Alfie Whiteman’s departure. It appears most likely that van Hecke could eventually take the number six shirt should he join Tottenham.