Lewis Dunk's Jan Paul van Hecke and Roberto De Zerbi claim amid Tottenham update

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Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk admitted he 'loved' watching Jan Paul van Hecke's progress under Roberto De Zerbi.

Van Hecke, 26, is expected to complete his £52m move to Tottenham in the coming hours and reunite with De Zerbi.

The Dutch defender worked with the Italian head coach across two seasons at Brighton and the central defender has since emerged as one of the best players in his position in the Premier League.

Flourished under De Zerbi

It was under De Zerbi during the 2023-24 campaign when Van Hecke started to flourish with the Seagulls. He totalled 131 appearances for Brighton, 50 of which were under De Zerbi.

Dunk had a ringside sit to watch Van Hecke's progress. They formed a formidable central defensive partnership and the skipper also witnessed Van Hecke and De Zerbi in training.

The biggest improvement

"It's the biggest improvement I've ever seen in a player since this manager arrived and I love it," said Dunk in 2024, when asked about van Hecke's rise under De Zerbi: "He will give you everything he's got, every single day."

De Zerbi has been pushing for reunion with Van Hecke as he looks to plug a leaky Spurs defence.

De Zerbi, during his time at Brighton, was asked about Van Hecke’s attitude. "We fight," said the Italian.

"We fought, but we fought in a good way.

Van Hecke’s level is high

"He is improving in an incredible way. He's actually older than his age. His level is high, higher than people think."

Spurs conceded 122 goals across the last two Premier League campaigns and De Zerbi has immediately got to work on bringing in defensive reinforcements with Van Hecke’s addition following the arrivals of left-back Andy Robertson and centre-back Marcos Senesi.

Van Hecke started his career in his homeland with NAC Breda before Brighton secured his services in 2020 for around £2m.

He will now link up with Netherlands team-mate Micky van de Ven at Tottenham.

Brighton eye Vuskovic

Brighton are expected to accelerate their pursuit of Spurs centre-back Luka Vuskovic as a potential replacement but have had two bids rejected this month.

Brighton will likely bring in a new defender this summer - possibly two. Adam Webster has also left the club and Igor Julio is also tipped to depart.