Tottenham defender Jan Paul van Hecke played the full 90 minutes in the Netherlands 1-1 draw vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League.
Tottenham Hotspur’s summer business is coming under a lot of scrutiny after the club’s disastrous start to the season.
Spurs showed ambition in the transfer market, splashing well above £300m to recruit as many as 10 players to overcome a mentally and physically scarring 2025/26 season. However, Roberto De Zerbi’s men have only mustered two points from five games at the start of the new campaign and only just managed to score their first Premier League goals against Aston Villa before entering the international break.
One of Tottenham’s poor performers in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa was Jan Paul van Hecke. Signed for a fixed £52 million from Brighton and Hove Albion, the Dutchman endured his worst outing in a Spurs shirt last weekend. Despite scoring a stoppage-time goal, the defender was criticised by former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole.
Kenneth Perez slams Tottenham star Jan Paul van Hecke’s Netherlands display vs. Germany
It appears that Van Hecke has carried that form into the international break. The Tottenham defender started alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the Dutch defence, as Xavi’s side began their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 1-1 draw against Germany in Amsterdam.
As per Sport Witness, the 26-year-old made two clearances, blocked three shots, made one interception, six ball recoveries and won six out of his seven aerial duels. However, former PSV Eindhoven and Ajax star Kenneth Perez wasn’t happy with Van Hecke’s display against Germany. The Dutch expert called on new boss Xavi to bring Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber into the XI whenever he is fit.
“Van Hecke was truly incredibly poor in every way. On the ball, he is a real nightmare. If the ball is right in front of him and there is a player in his line of sight, he manages just fine,” Kenneth Perez told ESPN (h/t Voetbal Primeur).
“But if something needs to happen that is a bit unforeseen, he really has no idea. He just shoots the ball off somewhere. I don’t know how far Timber is? But that would really be an improvement for the Dutch national team.”
While Van Hecke may not have the greatest of starts to his Tottenham career, it feels like the central defender is getting unfairly scapegoated by parts of the English and Dutch media. The 26-year-old has already showcased glimpses of why De Zerbi was extremely keen to get him through the door.
The former Brighton star is technically strong and is extremely competent in duels, whilst being a leader on and off the pitch. With time and more understanding with his new teammates at Tottenham, Van Hecke will only get better and shine.
