The misplaced Jan Paul van Hecke hate feels bizarre
Tottenham Hotspur did raise some eyebrows around the Premier League this summer transfer window when they agreed to pay 60 million euros to Brighton in order to sign Jan Paul van Hecke, who, in theory, should have been cheaper than his market value with just one year left on his contract. And Spurs made this signing knowing full well that Luka Vuskovic would then ask to leave to join Brighton in return so as to not have more spots to compete against.
But Tottenham made the move, as manager Roberto De Zerbi very much valued Van Hecke's skill set on the ball and wanted to reunite with a player he brought his best out of while the two were together at Brighton.
Van Hecke did not look to be ready to bank on his price tag on Matchday 1, though, as he struggled next to Marcos Senesi. He was the worse of the two center backs, with the free agent having to cover the Dutchman's tracks with several mistakes and none of the quality on the ball that Spurs fans were getting excited about at the World Cup this summer.
Van Hecke has a lot left to show
But after absorbing a lot of intense criticism from some fans after that 3-0 blowout loss to Brentford, Van Hecke did bounce back somewhat on Matchday 2 in his next Premier League start. And while Tottenham Hotspur lost again, 2-0 to Newcastle United, Van Hecke showed much more quality on the ball and looked significanlty more assured in defense; he outplayed his counterpart, countryman Micky van de Ven, this time.
Tottenham fans have to be careful not to turn on their key players after such a terrible start to the Premier League season, because it has only been two games and the new squad under Roberto De Zerbi is starting to take shape both in terms of the chemistry of the players and the idea of how the manager wants everyone to play together.
Jan Paul van Hecke thrives off being a cog in the wheel and in sync with his teammates. As a center back who thrives in the build up and needs to have that feel for how everyone else is, more continuity and experience with Tottenham will help him greatly. There is a lot of misplaced hate towards his start and doubting of his quality, which will soon be proven wrong in time. De Zerbi chose Van Hecke for a clear reason.
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