Tottenham Hotspur may have just made one of the signings of the summer following Jan Paul van Hecke’s performance during Holland’s defeat to Morocco.
The Netherlands crashed out of the World Cup in the Round of 32 after being beaten 3-2 on penalties by Morocco.
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The Dutch team looked set to be heading into the next round until Issa Diop netted a stoppage-time equaliser.
Following the Netherlands’ exit from the competition, the local media in the Netherlands have been reacting to the performance of Van Hecke.
Tottenham’s Jan Paul van Hecke signing now looks elite
Tottenham Hotspur’s deal to sign Jan Paul van Hecke now appears to be one of the best of the summer so far following his impressive World Cup campaign.
For the Netherlands, it will go down as a hugely disappointing campaign; however, the Spurs defender certainly did himself proud.
Tottenham were slammed for paying £52 million for Van Hecke, but the 26-year-old has shown signs of why Roberto De Zerbi was so keen to sign him.
Van Hecke managed the most touches for the Netherlands and completed the second most passes, showing how well trusted he is on the ball.
The Spurs defender also won nine duels, completed three recoveries, two clearances and two interceptions.
The Dutch media were so impressed by Van Hecke’s display against Morocco that they claim he can leave the tournament with his head held high.
- VoetbalZone rated him 7/10: “Jan Paul van Hecke, one of the standout players for the Netherlands against Tunisia (3-1), once again impressed positively against Morocco. He produced several good actions on the ball and held his own defensively.”
- AD also rated him 8/10 and wrote: “Once again, it was not the fault of the Zeeland warrior of Orange. Van Hecke again threw his heart and soul into the duels. Against Japan, he left the field with a black eye. Against Morocco, he finished with stitches in his head. At times, he reminded me of Jaap Stam. He does not back down or bend. Moreover, he bites back if his opponent does not play fair. Van Hecke was fooled by Saibari once in the second half, but intervened strongly a few times then as well, and in extra time. It was to no avail. His strong World Cup ends in the round of 32.”
- Voetbal Primeur were even more generous and gave him 8/10: “they just had to get him… First a boot from Saibari, then an elbow from Ounahi, and subsequently the studs from Mazraoui. He finished the match with a red, bloodied quiff. It only adds more cachet to his unyielding performance.”
Van Hecke will now get rested up over the next few weeks before heading to start work at Hotspur Way alongside De Zerbi.
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Daniel Levy claimed Brighton had Spurs’ ‘pants down’ paying £52 million for the defender, according to TalkSPORT, but he has certainly proved that was not the case.
Instead, Tottenham have landed one of their manager’s top targets and an elite defender who should seriously help them next season.
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