Now head coach Roberto De Zerbi is looking forward to working with the man who was part of his Albion team for a little short of two seasons.
Van Hecke will link up again with his former boss when he reports for pre-season at Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
De Zerbi has underlined the qualities which impress him with van Hecke – and with which Albion fans are very familiar.
Van Hecke signed for Albion almost six years ago and had loans at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers before forcing his way into Graham Potter’s plans at the Amex.
He has also been a main man for De Zerbi and Fabian Hurzeler and has been spoken about as a potential future Albion captain.
Spurs sporting director Johan Lange said via a club statement: "Jan Paul is an outstanding defender who has excelled in the Premier League and at international level, and someone we have been tracking for a number of years.
"As well as his technical qualities and strong defensive instincts, he also has the maturity, character and professionalism that we look for when recruiting players.”
In the official announcement of the £52 million move, De Zerbi said: "Jan Paul is someone I know very well from our time together at Brighton, and I'm delighted to be working with him again.
"He is a strong, intelligent centre-back who is brave in possession and plays with personality. Those are important qualities for the way I want our team to set-up.
"Off the pitch he is mature, a leader and has a hunger to learn and improve every day.
"Jan Paul has made great progress over the past few years and I believe he can develop even further here at Tottenham Hotspur."