Tottenham: Jan Paul van Hecke transfer most likely as Roberto De Zerbi plots raid
Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to sign Jan Paul van Hecke this summer.
Roberto De Zerbi is looking to bolster his squad to push on and avoid another Premier League relegation battle next season.
He reportedly wants to attempt a triple transfer from his former club Brighton to bring Bart Verbruggen, Carlos Baleba and Van Hecke to North London.
The chances of that deal seem very unlikely, considering that the AMEX Stadium club drive a hard bargain for their players.
Tottenham may be forced to settle for one, and the defender has been named as the one that they should put their attention on.
Why Van Hecke is most likely Tottenham addition?
John Wenham has revealed that Van Hecke is the most likely signing for Tottenham from those targets if they pursue the three Seagulls players.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: "There were reports that De Zerbi would like to raid Brighton in a triple transfer for Verbruggen, Van Hecke and Baleba.
| Tottenham targets | Transfer value (Transfermarkt) |
| Bart Verbruggen | £34.6m |
| Jan Paul van Hecke | £30.3m |
| Carlos Baleba | £47.6m |
"Getting anybody out of Brighton is not easy, as we've seen with Chelsea repeatedly going there over the years and then huge sums of money being exchanged, to try and get three of their starting players out of their team. I just see it as incredibly unlikely.
"All three are in positions where we do need strengthening, make no mistake about that, but Van Hecke, when I saw him play at the Tottenham Stadium this year, I was very, very impressed with him, very commanding centre-back.
"He would be an excellent addition and seems the most likely of those three."
How does he compare to Tottenham star Cristian Romero?
Van Hecke has been a standout defender in the Premier League this season.
He averages 1.5 tackles, 3.1 ball recoveries and 5.3 clearances per game, while winning 64 per cent of his ground duels and 59 per cent of battles in the air, per Sofascore.
| Van Hecke vs Romero stats | Van Hecke | Romero |
| Tackles per game | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Ball recoveries per game | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Clearances per game | 5.3 | 4.1 |
| Ground duels won | 64% | 62% |
| Aerial duels won | 59% | 72% |
Cristian Romero, Spurs' captain, averages 2.5 tackles, 3.8 ball recoveries and 4.1 clearances per game, winning 62 per cent of ground duels and 72 per cent of aerial duels.
However, the Argentine's future is uncertain, so bringing in Van Hecke may be a very solid move for the Lilywhites.