Tottenham complete £52m Van Hecke signing as De Zerbi focuses on defence

Tottenham have completed their third signing of the summer after Jan Paul van Hecke joined from Brighton. Spurs made a move for Dutch international centre-back Van Hecke after a terrible 2025-26 campaign where Roberto De Zerbi’s team secured Premier League survival with a final-day home victory over Everton . De Zerbi worked with Van Hecke during two seasons at Brighton and earmarked the defender as a key component of rebuilding Tottenham. After two bids earlier this month were rejected, a £52m offer was accepted and the 26-year-old has signed a long-term contract. Van Hecke said: “It’s a huge honour to become a Spurs player and when you join such a big club, it’s a dream come true. I already have a really strong connection with the head coach, who I’m looking forward to working with again. Micky [van de Ven] has also told me some great things about the club, so I can’t wait to get started. “I’ve been at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as an opposition player and now I’m looking forward to walking out there in front of our fans wearing the Spurs shirt. That will be a special moment.” After De Zerbi rescued Spurs with three wins during his seven matches in charge, the Italian warned lessons must be learned after back-to-back 17th-place finishes and the club’s majority owners, the Lewis family, promised to fund the required rebuild . …