Jan Paul van Hecke: How will Tottenham use defensive options?

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Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52m deal with Brighton for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke.

Scotland defender Andy Robertson has already signed from Liverpool, with Argentinian centre-half Marcos Senesi agreeing a move from Bournemouth.

The arrivals of Van Hecke and Senesi will leave Roberto de Zerbi with a wealth of central defensive options.

But with no European football next term, how many of Tottenham's centre-halves will still be in north London at the start of the 2026-27 campaign?

Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin are already at the club, as well as 19-year-old defender Luka Vuskovic, who spent last season on loan at Hamburg but is reportedly wanted by Brighton as well as a host of top European sides.

Spurs fans are yet to see him in competitive action for the club, although could get a first-hand glimpse of the sought-after youngster's potential when England face Croatia on Wednesday.

Romero, meanwhile, who like Senesi is representing Argentina at the World Cup this summer, has spent five seasons at Spurs and captained the club to a first trophy in 17 years when they beat Manchester United to win the Europa League in 2025.

But he has long been touted with a move away, and the 28-year-old's availability - either through suspension or injury he only played 23 Premier League games last season and 18 the campaign before - is a source of frustration among supporters.

Dragusin has also been linked with an exit - the Romanian reportedly turned down Bayern Munich to join Spurs in January 2024 but an ACL injury has disrupted his time at the club and the new additions will push the 24-year-old further down the pecking order.

Should Romero and Dragusin depart, that would leave De Zerbi with Senesi, Van Hecke, Van de Ven and Danso, as well as with a decision to make over whether Vuskovic remains, goes on loan or is sold permanently.

It's worth noting Van de Ven started at left-back in the same Netherlands back four as Van Hecke on Sunday against Japan, but Spurs are also not short on bodies in that position with Robertson soon to arrive.

Or, with all these new arrivals, might De Zerbi opt for a back five?

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