Van Hecke: Spurs transfer won’t change me as a person

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

Jan Paul van Hecke insists his transfer to Tottenham will not change him, but he is proud of being bought for such a high fee.

Van Hecke completed his switch from Brighton to Spurs on Thursday, with the north London club reportedly signing Van Hecke for £52m.

The Dutch defender will be reunited with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, with the pair previously working together at Brighton.

Van Hecke made 50 appearances under De Zerbi for Brighton, while he played 131 games overall for the Seagulls after signing from NAC Breda for under £2m in 2020.

He impressed in the 2025-26 season, recording more interceptions (48) and blocks (31) than his team-mates across all competitions and winning the most duels (223).

Van Hecke helped Brighton qualify for the Conference League, but is now ready to take on the challenge at Spurs.

“It is always tricky to say certain things, ‘what would I give for myself’,” said Van Hecke when asked about the transfer.

The next chapter in his story  pic.twitter.com/ca0MtrddLW

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 18, 2026

“I’d give what the club is willing to give. I’m just happy that this is possible. I could say it doesn’t do anything to me, but of course I am proud of it because it is fantastic, but it won’t change me as a person.

“But now I will play for one of the most important clubs in the UK. It is important for my future. But now I’m focused on the World Cup here.”

Van Hecke is Spurs’ latest defensive recruit, with the club having already added Andrew Robertson and Marco Senesi to their backline on free transfers.

For now, his focus is on the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign, with Ronald Koeman’s team taking on Sweden on Saturday.

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