Jan Paul van Hecke: Extent of Tottenham coup is now clear after World Cup reveal

Jan Paul van Hecke is showing Tottenham Hotspur what he's capable of with some impressive World Cup displays.

The centre-back has completed a move to the North London outfit from Brighton and Hove Albion in the ongoing transfer window, but his £52million price tag has raised some eyebrows.

At the Amex Stadium, the 26-year-old defender's contract was set to expire at the end of next season and they still managed to make a hefty profit on him.

Spurs certainly won't be bothered about the money they've spent on Van Hecke and will feel it was a coup, considering he has established himself as the best centre-back at the World Cup.

The Netherlands have qualified for the last 32 after finishing top of Group F and will face Morocco in the knockout stage on 30 June.

Ronald Koeman has relied heavily on the Tottenham defender in North America, with the defender playing every minute so far and scoring one goal.

Jan Paul Van Hecke's 2026 World Cup stats with Netherlands

Van Hecke is the joint-highest-ranked centre-back alongside Aymeric Laporte, with an average Sofascore rating of 7.93 after the first three World Cup matches.

While the defender has been unable to keep a clean sheet with the Netherlands, he has recorded 1.7 tackles, 4.7 clearances and recovered the ball four times per game at the tournament.

The Spurs star's abilities on the ball have been evident, with 94 per cent passing accuracy and averaging three accurate long balls per game.

Van Hecke has made Sofascore's team of the group stage, winning 60 per cent of his ground duels and 67 per cent of his aerial duels.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to build world-class Tottenham squad

Sources told Football Insider on 27 June that Tottenham had submitted an offer for Sandro Tonali and were looking to agree terms with the Newcastle United star.

Roberto De Zerbi must have surely demanded significant backing from the Spurs hierarchy this summer after managing to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Italian boss seems to be eyeing a revolution at the North London outfit, with some quality players possibly on their way to N17 in the coming weeks.