Tottenham’s pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke may have hit an early stumbling block after their opening bid was rejected, but the move still tells us plenty about what Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs are planning this summer.
Tottenham’s summer rebuild under Roberto De Zerbi is off to a good start after two signings, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, are already understood to be done.
However, Spurs have not stopped there in their efforts to improve the defence, as it was very recently reported that Tottenham have also submitted a bid to sign Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke. Their valuation for the 25-year-old centre-back was understood to be below Brighton’s £70 million asking price and was therefore rejected.
Whether Tottenham return with another offer remains to be seen, but here are five things we made of the bid.
Tottenham want to get their business done early this year
“My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream, in my head.“
Those were De Zerbi’s words after narrowly avoiding Premier League relegation on the final day of the season against Everton, and the club’s actions so far suggest they are taking that message seriously.
The transfer window has not even officially opened yet, but Spurs are already understood to have secured deals for Senesi and Robertson, while a growing list of names continues to be linked with moves to North London. That represents a significant shift from a club that has often been criticised for dragging negotiations deep into the summer.
Van Hecke has been called up to represent the Netherlands at the World Cup, and major international tournaments have a habit of dramatically increasing a player’s value. If Van Hecke performs well on the biggest stage, Tottenham could suddenly find themselves competing against a much longer list of clubs willing to pay Brighton’s valuation.
Moreover, the earlier players arrive, the more of pre-season they get under De Zerbi, and the quicker they can adjust to their new environment before the campaign begins.
Cristian Romero is likely leaving Spurs
Given Senesi is already understood to be signed, the only real reason Tottenham would look further into the market for another central defender is if one of their current options is expected to leave.
It has been widely reported that club captain Cristian Romero could well make a move away from North London this summer, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all credited with interest after a frustrating campaign in North London for the Argentine.
Romero has hit back at the Spurs hierarchy several times publicly since arriving, and has also come under criticism from supporters for some of his actions both on and off the pitch.
There is no denying his quality when available, but he has also missed seven matches through suspension this season. When you are talking about your first-choice centre-back, let alone your captain, you would want to see better decision-making than that.
Roberto De Zerbi wants to sign one of his former players
At this point, it almost feels like De Zerbi is trying to bring half of Brighton to Tottenham, with Matt O’Riley, Carlos Baleba and Bart Verbruggen all linked with moves to North London already.
The Italian is known to be obsessive about tactics and football, and he needs players who understand exactly what he wants from them. Van Hecke spent nearly two years working under De Zerbi at Brighton and is already very aware of how demanding the Italian is when it comes to building from the back.
The statistics show exactly why De Zerbi would want him. Compared to Micky van de Ven and Romero this season, Van Hecke leads by some margin across most passing metrics, including pass completion percentage. Van Hecke sits on 86, while both Romero and Van de Ven have failed to cross the 50 mark.
The same is true for progressive passes and progressive carries, as shown in the graphic above.
Tottenham will have to beat Chelsea and Liverpool to a deal
Liverpool have just lost their starting centre-back Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid, and suddenly lack serious depth in that position. Outside of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, there are no proven options available.
They do have youngsters Giovanni Leoni and Rhys Williams, but both remain relatively inexperienced when it comes to being regular Premier League starters.
Liverpool would be an appealing destination for Van Hecke. He would get Champions League football next season, almost a guaranteed starting spot, and there is also the excitement surrounding a new era under Andoni Iraola.
Many of the same arguments could be made for Chelsea too. They may not have European football next season, but there is still a prospect of a very exciting project under Xabi Alonso.
That said, it is reported that Van Hecke is personally keen on a move to Tottenham, according to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, which could prove important if the race heats up later in the summer.
Spurs clearly want to create a Dutch centre-back partnership for years to come
It’s always nice to have a fellow defender who speaks your own language and is almost the same age as you, given both Van de Ven and Van Hecke are currently 25 years old.
They have also trained and played together at international level under Ronald Koeman, and to be fair, the Dutch national team have established themselves as one of the strongest defensive setups in world football over recent years.
While De Zerbi’s football may be very different from what the Netherlands play internationally, both systems still rely heavily on defenders who are confident on the ball and comfortable progressing possession.
Van de Ven and Van Hecke have grown up playing that way throughout their careers, so this could be exactly the kind of partnership De Zerbi wants to build his defence around.