The big storyline surrounding Tottenham Hotspur in the early going of the summer transfer window has been their aspirations to improve their team, as the squad they had last season led them to a second straight 17th-place finish in the Premier League, with the more recent campaign coming down to the final day to guarantee their spot in the English top flight next year.
So far, the Lilywhites have confirmed the captures of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, both being brought in on free transfers, which allows the North London club to bring in proven Premier League talents, while keeping money tucked away in their pockets to spend on further improvements to their squad.
One of those improvements that Tottenham executives had identified was further support for their backline, this time coming in the form of Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, whom the Lilywhites had been looking at for some time. This interest had resulted in the North London club sending a bid to the South Coast side, which was subsequently rejected due to a failure to be on the same page, financially speaking.
van Hecke reunited with De Zerbi
While the two sides didn't see eye-to-eye on a deal at that point in time, things have changed since then, as it appears that the Dutch defender will be making a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after the two sides agreed to a deal for £52 million, according to a recent report from The Athletic's David Ornstein.
van Hecke's move to North London will see him play under head coach Roberto De Zerbi once again, as the two were a part of the same squad a few seasons back with the Seagulls, alongside the South Coast. The Dutchman has proven to be defensively resolute for Brighton, with last season being no exception, recording 46 interceptions and beating his opponents out on 32 tackles.
The Dutchman's inclusion into the Lilywhites' backline should, in theory, help patch the holes that made their season so difficult, as Tottenham allowed 57 goals last year, the fourth most in the league, only trailing the three relegated teams.
For now, it will be up to see how the Lilywhites will spend the rest of their transfer window, with the £52 million being quite a sizeable chunk, even for a large club such as Tottenham.
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