Roberto De Zerbi is pushing Tottenham to reunite him with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke after successfully securing Andy Robertson’s arrival on a free transfer.
The Dutch centre-back previously flourished under De Zerbi at Brighton, with the Italian once describing him as “incredible” following his contract extension in 2023.
Spurs are wasting no time rebuilding after narrowly avoiding relegation, thanks to their final-day 1-0 win over Everton which guaranteed Premier League survival.
Andy Robertson is expected to bring leadership and experience to North London after agreeing to join Tottenham when his Liverpool contract expires next month. Spurs had also tried to sign the Scotland captain in January, but Liverpool blocked the move due to their injury problems.
Now, De Zerbi wants Van Hecke to become another key addition to his new-look squad.
The Brighton defender has just 12 months remaining on his contract, putting Tottenham in a strong position to negotiate a reduced fee this summer. Brighton may decide this is the right time to sell rather than risk losing him for nothing next year.
Van Hecke has already made over 100 Premier League appearances and could be viewed as a long-term replacement for Cristian Romero, who is expected to leave Spurs this summer.
The move could also strengthen Tottenham’s Dutch connection, with Micky van de Ven reportedly keen to stay at the club after survival was secured. Van Hecke and Van de Ven already share strong chemistry from their time together in the Netherlands youth setup and senior national team.
De Zerbi believes Van Hecke perfectly fits his football philosophy as Tottenham aim to recover from back-to-back 17th-place finishes and push towards European qualification once again.
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