Tottenham 'damage' continues with latest Jan Paul van Hecke transfer development
Tottenham Hotspur's continued pursuit of Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke shows that they are "panicking" to try to show the fans they have turned a corner.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Lilywhites have already bid far too much for the player at £70million.
The North London outfit have seen two offers rejected by the Seagulls, but are showing no signs of backing down in their pursuit of the 26-year-old.
Wyness believes that Spurs shouldn't have gone above an initial £50m for Van Hecke, and believes that they are now open to exploitation from other clubs in the market.
Roberto De Zerbi's side have already secured the additions of Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi in the early stages of the summer, and appear keen to keep their momentum rolling.
Van Hecke has emerged as a clear target for them, but could be available on a free transfer next summer, when his current contract is due to expire.
Tottenham still taking damage from 2025-26 campaign
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Tottenham are still dealing with lasting "damage" from the effects of their relegation battle in 2025-26.
He noted that their pursuit of Van Hecke screams of the club trying to show the supporters that "there is a future," by making some expensive additions to the squad.
However, speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he made it clear that spending over £70m on Van Hecke is not good business, given his contract situation.
"It's not great business. Spurs may have to be careful here because they're going to be seen as easy targets by a lot of clubs if they're looking to buy players now," Wyness said.
"I think £50m plus add-ons would have been what Spurs should have offered, given that the player has one year left on his contract. That's a pretty fair offer.
"There's no doubt that he (Van Hecke) is a good talent and De Zerbi wants him, but Spurs are stuck in this thing of panicking slightly and wanting to show the fans that there is a future.
"They're caught in that hard position. Look, it's not great for Spurs, but at least if they get the player, they'll have a quality asset, that's for sure.
"This is an expensive cost because of last season. That's the whole thing. And so that's sort of dragging on even more in terms of damage it's doing to the club."
Roberto De Zerbi pushing ENIC with 'strong political position'
Wyness also told Football Insider that De Zerbi is the driving force behind Spurs' sustained pursuit of Van Hecke, who he worked with during his time at Brighton.
The former boardroom man made it clear that the Italian is in a "strong position politically" at the club after keeping them in the Premier League, and is using that as leverage to demand a deal.
Wyness made it clear that Spurs are "panicking" to try to meet the boss' demands, as he wants the right players through the door "at any cost."
ENIC are trying to commit and back him as well as they can, but in this case, Wyness believes they have allowed their judgement to be swayed a little.