Jan Paul van Hecke numbers show why he's the perfect Roberto De Zerbi man

Tottenham Hotspur are desperate to improve on successive 17th-place finishes.

Heading into the new term, the signs are looking positive, after Roberto De Zerbi guided the Lilywhites to safety following his April arrival.

Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have all arrived, bolstering the Italian's squad.

Van Hecke in particular is the big one, having already played under De Zerbi at Brighton.

Currently at the World Cup with the Netherlands, the 26-year-old has been mightily impressive.

And based on his numbers from the tournament, Spurs fans can look forward to watching the man who fits De Zerbi's style almost perfectly.

Jan Paul van Hecke's World Cup in numbers

Throughout his time at Brighton, the Dutchman has become renowned for his ball-playing abilities - something De Zerbi saw in him during their spell together.

This has been particularly on show this summer so far.

Reaching the knockouts with relative ease, the Dutch picked up seven points, with comfortable wins against Sweden and Tunisia complimenting a draw with Japan.

Van Hecke in particular has shone, with his 61 passes into the final third being the most of any player in the group stages of the competition.

De Zerbi in particular loves his defenders to play with the ball, and there are not many better out there than his new man.

At a 94.1 per cent success rate, he has completed 288 passes at the tournament and nine accurate long balls, while he has registered 339 touches - resulting in 113 per match across three games.

This backs up the mastery he showed in the league last term, with 2,198 passes and 133 accurate long balls, while the trust in build up is highlighted again with 3,041 touches.

De Zerbi will be wanting to move closer to his own style next term, and a player of van Hecke's ilk gets him a lot closer to being able to do exactly that.

Van Hecke brings unique traits to De Zerbi's backline

In the modern game, it is becoming more and more common for defenders to be extremely comfortable in possession.

Van Hecke though, is scarily good with the ball at his feet, and it is easy to see why De Zerbi was so keen to add him.

Micky van De Ven is comfortable in possession, as is fellow arrival Senesi - but the level is incomparable.

Van de Ven in particular relies more on his physical attributes to drive with the ball, while Senesi sits somewhat between the two Dutchmen.

Van Hecke is like a midfielder in the backline, and is someone who will constantly want the ball, while his side will want to give him the ball due to his line breaking abilities.

Looking to get Tottenham's midfield further up the pitch, De Zerbi will be wanting his centre-backs high, with the ability of building from them.

In this regard, the new man most certainly fits the bill.