Tottenham bolster defence with Van Hecke signing

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Tottenham have announced the signing of Jan Paul van Hecke on a long-term contract from Brighton.

The move, which sees Van Hecke reunited with Roberto De Zerbi, is reportedly worth £52m, though no details about the length of the contract have been revealed.

Van Hecke played for De Zerbi at Brighton between 2023 and 2024, making 50 appearances under the Italian in all competitions.

The Netherlands international, who is currently representing his country at the World Cup, made 131 appearances for the Seagulls in all competitions, scoring four goals in total, including three in 2025-26.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Jan Paul van Hecke

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 18, 2026

“It’s a huge honour to become a Spurs player, and when you join such a big club, it’s a dream come true,” Van Hecke told the club’s media channels.

“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. That will be a special moment.”

No Brighton player made more interceptions (48) or blocks (31) than Van Hecke in all competitions in 2025-26, while he also won the most duels (223) – only Diego Gomez (374) contested more than his 361.

He is the third defensive signing for Spurs this transfer window, following Andy Robertson and Marco Senesi to north London.

Spurs have registered back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, avoiding relegation on the final day with a 1-0 win over Everton, and they are looking to make a big improvement next season.

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