Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke is beginning to reveal more about their wider defensive plans, with the size of their bid and Brighton’s response offering a clearer picture of where Cristian Romero may sit in the club’s long-term thinking.
Tottenham Hotspur are keen to add more defensive depth to their ranks this summer transfer window.
Marcos Senesi looks set to join Tottenham later in July, having agreed a pre-contract deal with Spurs, signing a four-year deal.
Luka Vuskovic is also set to return to North London after a loan spell with Hamburg, although he could be sent out on loan once more.
Should the pair move to N17 later this summer, that would take their centre-back depth up to seven players capable of filling that position, with Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Cristian Romero, Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai all options.
Spurs Web has now reported that Jan Paul van Hecke is yet another centre-back target for Tottenham this transfer window.
Spurs are said to have put in a bid for Van Hecke, which Brighton rejected as it fell short of their valuation.
Should he seal a move to north London, that would take the centre-back depth up to eight players vying for just two spots. With Spurs not involved in Europe next season, that is surely an overkill.
But what does a Van Hecke switch actually mean for Tottenham? We have now analysed the entire situation.
Tottenham’s defensive plans shaped by Jan Paul van Hecke bid and Cristian Romero’s future
First, we do expect Tottenham to clean out their squad, and that would involve selling what can be described as “deadwood”.
On our list, we have Radu Dragusin, who barely featured under Roberto De Zerbi. The player’s agent has spoken about interest in Dragusin, and we expect that the Romanian could be sold this summer.
Then Takai and Vuskovic could also be moved on, although not permanently. Spurs Web reported that the feeling within Tottenham is that Vuskovic is not quite ready for first-team football.
As such, another loan move could be on the cards. Takai, who joined last summer from J League side Kawasaki Frontale, did not have an impressive loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany, with injuries and a lack of game time hindering his development, and we expect another loan move.
Should these three be moved on, Spurs’ centre-back depth would be down to five, with Romero, Van Hecke (should he sign), Senesi, Van de Ven and Danso.
That becomes far more reasonable depth on paper, but given the quality of each of these players, it is very unlikely that Van Hecke would move to Tottenham to be an understudy aged 25.
Senesi also would not want to be far down the pecking order at Tottenham after his stellar campaign with Bournemouth, where he helped them secure Europa League football.
Based on this, it is reasonable to expect that the Van Hecke transfer could hint at a possible reshuffle at the back for Tottenham.
Spurs van Hecke bid hints at potential Romero exit
If Spurs are to pay between £50m-£70m for Van Hecke, it implies that one of their starting centre-backs is expected to be sold.
Micky van de Ven is now very likely to remain at Tottenham despite much speculation about his future during the season.
However, Cristian Romero’s future remains uncertain, and he is the one most likely to depart N17. There was interest in Romero last summer, with Atletico Madrid keen on his signature at the time.
However, Spurs did manage to convince the Argentine to stay put and extend his contract after their Europa League triumph.
Still, that has done little to kill speculation about his future, with the three Spanish giants now said to be interested in landing Romero.
If Tottenham are making a significant outlay for Van Hecke, then it hints that a move might not be too far away.
Reports have it that Romero could be sold for anything within £50-60m, with an alleged release clause in that region.
Should he be sold for that amount, it would be a like-for-like monetary replacement with Van Hecke.
However, with Van Hecke having just 12 months left on his current deal, it would make little sense for them to buy him for as much as £70m.
This becomes even more difficult to justify when Romero, who is a World Cup winner and has a contract until 2029, could go for much less.
Surely Spurs will do their best to secure a deal for Van Hecke at a much lower price. But they will have to worry about Chelsea and Liverpool waiting in the wings as well.
Van Hecke himself is open to a move to Tottenham, which would do their chances a lot of good.
| Player | Passes completed | Forward pass % | Progressive passes | Possession won | Defensive duel % | Aerial duel % | Progressive carries | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton, 25) | 86.0 | 76.9 | 98.7 | 48.7 | 78.2 | 41.1 | 99.1 | 3583 |
| Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth, 29) | 53.6 | 6.2 | 99.8 | 97.3 | 51.8 | 9.1 | 89.8 | 3678 |
| Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur, 27) | 49.8 | 55.3 | 62.2 | 85.6 | 55.1 | 84.2 | 41.1 | 2059 |
| Micky van de Ven (Tottenham Hotspur, 25) | 41.3 | 72.4 | 23.6 | 3.8 | 28.0 | 24.2 | 51.6 | 3317 |