Tottenham Hotspur sign Jan Paul van Hecke for £52 million and add two defenders on free transfers

Tottenham Hotspur completed the signing of Dutch centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for a £52 million transfer fee. The 26-year-old Netherlands international signed a long-term contract and will join after the World Cup. Van Hecke began his career with NAC Breda before Brighton signed him in 2020.

Roberto De Zerbi gave him his debut during the 2022-23 season and managed him for two seasons at Brighton. De Zerbi stated: "Jan Paul is someone I know very well from our time together at Brighton, and I’m delighted to be working with him again. " Van Hecke stated: "It’s a huge honour to become a Spurs player and when you join such a big club, it’s a dream come true.

I already have a really strong connection with the head coach, who I’m looking forward to working with again. Micky (van de Ven) has also told me some great things about the club, so I can’t wait to get started. I’ve been at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as an opposition player and now I’m looking forward to walking out there in front of our fans wearing the Spurs shirt.

Tottenham also signed left-back Andy Robertson and centre-back Marcos Senesi on free transfers. The club conceded 122 goals in the last two Premier League campaigns combined. The move follows a 2025-26 season in which De Zerbi’s team narrowly secured survival with a final-day home victory over Everton.

After three wins in seven matches in charge, De Zerbi warned that lessons must be learned following back-to-back 17th-place finishes. The Lewis family, the club’s majority owners, have promised to fund the required rebuild. De Zerbi added that Van Hecke is mature, a leader and has a hunger to learn and improve every day, and that he believes the defender can develop even further at Tottenham.