Theo Janssen is unhappy with Tottenham Hotspur‘s Jan Paul van Hecke and says he’s the weakest link in the Netherlands’ defence.
The centre-back spent six years at Brighton & Hove Albion and left them for Spurs in the summer. This saw him reunite with former Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi at the Premier League side.
Van Hecke has played every minute in the league for Tottenham and is yet to secure a win with his new club.
The north London club are bottom of the table, with two points after five matches. That hadn’t stopped new Netherlands manager Xavi from including him in his list for the September and October fixtures.
Growing criticism of Tottenham player
Last week, the 26-year-old started alongside Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk at the heart of defence in the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw against Germany.
Former Denmark international Kenneth Perez was critical of Jan Paul van Hecke‘s display. He urged Xavi to replace him with Arsenal’s Jurriën Timber.
He said: “Van Hecke was truly incredibly poor in every way. On the ball, he is a real nightmare.”
Van Hecke again started in Oranje’s 2-1 win over Serbia at the weekend. However, his display for the national team hasn’t convinced everyone. After Perez, Theo Janssen joined in to heavily criticise the Tottenham Hotspur player.
| Statistic | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|
| Club | Brighton | Brighton |
| Premier League appearances | 34 | 36 |
| Minutes | 2,959 | 3,210 |
| Goals | 1 | 3 |
| Assists | 1 | 3 |
| Tackles | 47 | 53 |
| Interceptions | 25 | 45 |
| Clearances | 161 | 221 |
| Pass completion | 88.4% | 87.2% |
Unhappy with Tottenham summer signing
The former FC Twente and Ajax midfielder was analysing the defender for Ziggo Sport’s Rondo, and Voetbal Primeur have relayed his comments.
Theo Janssen also went to detail Jan Paul van Hecke’s weakness and how it impacts the team. The ex-Netherlands international wants Xavi to drop him out of the playing XI.
“If you look at Van Hecke, I hear very few people talking about him, but to me, he is the weakest link,” he said.
“On the ball, but also defensively. That has to do with the fact that he plays a lot of simple balls, doesn’t dribble forward, and shows little initiative.”
“He has a very strong tendency to stay in the centre. He needs to go forward more often. Sometimes he wants to look for the footballing solution, but then he shoots the ball over the sideline.”
“He is vulnerable here (as soon as he starts playing on the wing when Dumfries is away). He is very slow and his timing is off and he gets into serious trouble then. I noticed that the whole time, so much ball loss.”
“When Timber is fit, put him there immediately. The Dumfries and Van Hecke pairing stands no chance.”
Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs can hope the defender blocks out criticism aimed towards him and only focus on his work on the pitch. They would like to avoid it, especially to help the club get out of the difficult situation.
