Tottenham Hotspur are looking to reunite their head coach with one of his key players from his final season at Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham are in talks with Brighton after having had a bid rejected for Jan Paul van Hecke and the centre-back is a player Roberto De Zerbi has had plenty to say about.
Van Hecke, who turns 26 this Monday, became a key player for De Zerbi in his backline in his final season at Brighton as the Dutchman became a mainstay of that Seagulls team alongside captain Lewis Dunk. It took some time for him to get to that point though, with loans during Graham Potter's tenure on the south coast to Heerenveen back home in the Netherlands and then Blackburn Rovers.
De Zerbi kept Van Hecke around though when he arrived and after frequently challenging him during his first campaign at the club it was in his second season that the centre-back blossomed and became the Premier League player he is today.
When De Zerbi left Brighton at the end of that campaign, Van Hecke wrote on social media: "Gaffer thank you very much! You changed my life! I’m really thankful for what you did for me. I’m really upset you are leaving."
But what have De Zerbi and others said about the Dutch centre-back, who has 12 months left on his contract with the Seagulls, and his ability and journey in the game? Here are just some of the things said about the Tottenham transfer target and you'll find one word in particular used a lot by the Italian.
De Zerbi on Van Hecke in September 2023
"Incredible. His performance was fantastic. I haven't got words to explain his improvement. He’s a serious player, a serious guy. I’m very, very pleased.
"“He has a big personality, big courage, great attitude and he deserves to play."
De Zerbi on Van Hecke surprising him ahead of facing Ajax in November 2023
"He's a great player. He has been a surprise for me and maybe also the club. His improvement is incredible and I hope he plays the same way in Amsterdam the same way he does in England."
Van Hecke's response
"My game has progressed a lot, from day one to now is incredible. Credit to the gaffer for making me a better player and I think myself for working hard to improve. I’m really happy and I love the way we play.
De Zerbi in December 2023 after Van Hecke signed his last contract
"I think the most important quality of JP is the balance between the arrogance and the confidence in himself. He is not arrogant but his confidence in himself is high, high, high.
“It is his secret to keep this level because he has an incredible personality, shows incredible leadership and he is so young. It's not common to see one young player with that level of personality."
He added on their early struggles: "Last season we fought... but we fought in a good way. We spoke a lot together. I am very proud of JP, and Billy [Gilmour]. They are both great guys and deserve to play in this level now. Their improvement has been fantastic.
"For young players, I think Brighton is one of the best teams to progress at, to play and improve. If they have the ambitions to reach the highest level, there are not many places better to be at than Brighton."
De Zerbi after Van Hecke starred against West Ham in January 2024
"He is improving in an incredible way. He’s older than his age. His level is high, higher than people think."
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Lewis Dunk on Van Hecke in January 2024
"Jan Paul's reaction to the own goal sums him up as a person. He will give you everything he’s got. His is the biggest improvement I have seen in a player since the manager arrived. I love it. It was a great assist after the own goal and I was buzzing for him."
Pep Guardiola on what he told Van Hecke in confrontation after the final whistle in November 2024
"That he [Van Hecke] was strong with Erling [Haaland] and when Erling then stands up, you have to stand up, he cannot go to the grass. Stay strong, no? You pull him all the game then after the fight you stay there. But he played a really good game and congratulations to Brighton."
Pierre van Hooijdonk, now an analyst on NOS television, on Ven Hecke's Netherlands debut
"He is the best of them all in passing. That says something. And covering, that is Van Hecke through and through.
“He is really crazy, positively crazy. You have to be that as a defender."
Bart Verbruggen on Van Hecke and his shared NAC Breda history
"He played one age group above me for Breda, and he went into the first team a bit quicker than I did. But I just remember when training sometimes with his age group that they had a very good team at the time, a very strong team. You could always see Jan Paul’s quality in possession. Obviously, he got a lot better, even though he was already good!
"Most people might not know this, but he used to take penalties at NAC. I remember him scoring some penalties in front of the NAC ultras – the celebrations were always nice! Their fans are really lively and obsessed with the club and the game. I remember him scoring some penalties and then celebrating with them.”
"I wasn’t shocked by Jan Paul getting the move to Brighton. He went on loan straight after – I think it’s one of the pathways you see more often now as well as here at Brighton, signing for a big team and then going out on loan. I’ve always been a fan of him as a player and as a person. I wasn’t surprised when he left, I could understand what a big team would see in him.
"If you see how his career worked out, I think all credit to him. He has taken the right steps at the right time and always had the right attitude and the right mentality. If you have those things, then the quality will take care of itself, but I think he maybe even surprised some people with how well he is doing now.
"It’s the same for JP – obviously when he was playing, everybody could see his quality, but I think to see how good he is now, maybe some people wouldn’t have expected it at the time because they didn’t really see him as someone destined for the top.
“It's really hard in any sport to be as consistent as he is. That’s one of his big qualities, but it could also be his ability on the ball, his quality in defence, his mental strength. There’s so many qualities about him that the national team coach would love about him. But the competition is high and the fact that he’s playing is a very, very big compliment to him.
"I think everybody can see how good of a player JP is, but what people maybe don’t always see because they don’t know him is how good a person he is. He really helped me a lot when I joined, in terms of showing me the way around Brighton, even teaching me about the culture at the training ground.
“I'm really grateful for how he and Joel (Veltman) helped when I first joined. We became really close. We are good friends. His wife and my girlfriend get along really well, and it’s just nice to have all the Dutch players here as we all get along really well. JP is definitely a big, big part of the great atmosphere in the squad we have."
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman on starting Van Hecke
"Why did I choose Van Hecke? Well, you generally assume that Hungary will do the same as in the previous game," Koeman said.
"They will drop far back and keep the spaces small. That is why it is important to have a good build-up of reverse, and Van Hecke's very good at that.
"Of course it also has to do with how he plays at his club. If you have many good central defenders, you can also do something else to decide on details.
Fabian Hurzeler on Van Hecke's leadership
"I think every team needs leaders, someone with a voice in the dressing room. Jan Paul is a player who takes responsibility and naturally embraces that leadership role. He’s a player that others look up to, and that’s not just because of his performances on the pitch, but also the way he conducts himself off it.
"He has made incredible progress not just as a player, which is evident, but also as a person. He is increasingly aware of his role in the dressing room, speaking with many teammates, helping them, and pushing the team to give everything in every match. That’s what makes him special. He doesn’t just lead by example with his performances, but he actively engages with the squad to create a winning mentality.
"I’m very happy that he does things like this [dressing room speech]. He is great at using the right words to inspire his teammates. It’s not easy to find players who have that natural leadership ability, but Jan Paul has it. He keeps our team sharp, motivated, and even at halftime, he delivers the right analysis. Thanks to him, Brighton is constantly reminded of the things that need to be done right."
Hurzeler on Van Hecke deserving a new contract
"Of course, great players with great personalities are always welcomed at this club," said Hurzeler when asked about Van Hecke's contract situation ahead of the Manchester United clash.
"I think a prime example is Lewis. Players who are here for a long time who have built a legacy. I am sure Jan Paul van Hecke can be one of them. But the main thing is that we try to make sure that he can perform like he performed the last games for us, that the focus is here, the present.
"Don't try to focus on the future. Try to focus on the things he can influence now and his performances, his development regarding his role as a leader.
"I'm always pleased when I can work with great players, great people, and hopefully he has a long and bright future here in Brighton."
Sandro on why Spurs must sign Van Hecke
"They are talking about Marcos Senesi, at Bournemouth, but I really like the defender from Brighton, Van Hecke. I really like him. He's good on the ball, he played with De Zerbi before too. He's not only good on the ball, but he can be very aggressive and in a way that he’s not stupid, he's not doing crazy things without the ball, but I think he's mature," said Sandro, speaking exclusively to Reach PLC ahead of the World Cup thanks to betFIRST sport.
"For me, Van Hecke is ready. He's ready to play because he played under De Zerbi and he showed that he can play in the moment, that he's mature, and we need players that are already mature. I think we are now going to the market and have to buy players that are ready."