Tottenham Hotspur’s former defender, Toby Alderweireld, has now shared his verdict on the club’s links with Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke amid Spurs’ summer rebuild.
Tottenham Hotspur appear to be putting the work in behind the scenes to get the club back to the very top based on the recent links in the transfer market.
The club played its first card by securing the signature of experienced full-back Andy Robertson, bringing him in on a free transfer.
While he is not a blockbuster signing, many Spurs fans have welcomed the addition of Robertson, given the wealth of experience he is set to bring.
Tottenham eye Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke as Toby Alderweireld gives verdict
Tottenham’s transfer business in the free-agent market does not look set to stop there. Fabrizio Romano has since reported that confirmation of Marcos Senesi’s deal is close as Tottenham continue to reshuffle their backline.
Senesi is fresh from a stellar campaign with Bournemouth, where he was named the club’s Player of the Season, and he also arrives with a wealth of experience.
Spurs also look set to add more Premier League experience in defence, with a bid submitted for Jan Paul van Hecke. The Dutchman was named Brighton and Hove Albion’s Player of the Season in the 2024-25 campaign.
Former Tottenham centre-back Toby Alderweireld has now shared his verdict on the two defenders and explained why he believes proven Premier League performers are exactly what Spurs need right now.
He told football.london: “They both know the Premier League. That’s good, because I think Spurs now need stability. They need to know the players can perform every week, week in, week out. They perform on a good level. Of course, a transfer to a new club, it’s always a bit different, but they know the Premier League and that’s very important.
“Because next season, it’s impossible that we go back to this [awful] period. So I think it’s understanding they are looking for players who are proven in the Premier League. That’s something they should do. They should have a little bit more security in that.”
The Belgian also stressed the importance of signing players with the right mentality and pointed to Paris Saint-Germain as an example of a club that benefited from changing its recruitment approach.
He continued: “I want players that the desire is there to improve. The best example is PSG. They had the biggest players. They won the French league, but never in the Champions League. They went back, sold their best players and went with people that have a fire in them.
“I can only speak from my own experience. We had people that wanted to improve – Harry Kane, Sonny, Eric Dier, Wanyama. There were players that want to improve and put the team as number one.”
Toby Alderweireld highlights what Spurs need most
Alderweireld has been linked with a role in Tottenham’s decision-making process, and his latest comments once again demonstrated the insight he could bring.
Continuing his assessment of the club’s transfer strategy, the former Spurs defender explained why mentality should take precedence over reputation when recruiting players, while also backing moves for Senesi and Van Hecke.
As quoted by football.london, he added: “So you might say ‘Spurs need to become better so we need to pay for big players’. We don’t need big players. We need players with big hearts who can improve and that’s something I really want to see. The team, the club, comes number one and that’s very important.
“I think with, for example, those two (Senesi and Van Hecke), they’re on the right direction to do the good transfers. To buy some players with a lot of potential from abroad, they need time and we don’t have the time now. We need to be there very quick to be ready and to get directly into the new season with points.
“Directly is not top three again. I understand that’s not easy, but it’s not like two points or something from [the first] five games. Then you get in the same thing as last season.”
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