Tottenham may have Cristian Romero replacement as captain, 'fairly decent chance' it happens

Jan Paul van Hecke could already be named as the new Tottenham captain.

That is the verdict from Lilywhites expert John Wenham, who believes that Roberto De Zerbi will be impressed by what he has seen at the World Cup.

The defender has only just joined the North London club in an £52million deal from Brighton.

Tottenham made a statement when the added Van Hecke, as he was one of the best in the Premier League last season.

Cristian Romero is the current club captain, but he is widely expected to leave North London in the near future.

That would leave De Zerbi with a decision to make, one which the new N17 man could benefit from.

What has been said about Jan Paul van Hecke and Tottenham captaincy?

Van Hecke has not yet linked up with Spurs, as he has been away at the World Cup with the Netherlands, whom he has represented 16 times.

However, they were eliminated by Morocco in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, but Wenham thinks that could help Van Hecke's case for the armband.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “He was absolutely outstanding. He’s had a really strong World Cup, and I think the £52m will start to look quite cheap.

“He got a kick on the head on about 40 minutes in, and then carried on to play the whole 120 minutes, showing great leadership, personality on the ball, and aggression.

“I just think he’s going to very quickly look like one of the signings of the summer for next season.

“There’s a fairly decent chance he may even be named Tottenham captain.

“I know there’s been previous of Micky Van de Ven captaining the side, plus Pedro Porro, but Van Hecke's got different characteristics and leadership style.

“He worked with Roberto De Zerbi before, and I could see him being made the permanent Tottenham captain.

“Which I think would be a huge statement. It’s a clean slate with De Zerbi this summer, and I think pre-season will be key.”

Could Van Hecke really be named Tottenham captain?

Tottenham are seen to have pulled off a coup with the signing of the Dutch star, and rewarding him with the captaincy does not seem unrealistic.

While he did not hold that honour with the Seagulls, his leadership qualities are clear to see, as Wenham states.

Given that he has already played 50 times under De Zerbi and the fact that he will set the standards that he expects, it would not be a surprise at all.