Tottenham Hotspur‘s Jan Paul van Hecke was hoping to enjoy a good start to the season, after the Premier League side invested heavily in the summer.
Last season, the north London club narrowly avoided relegation by finishing 17th in the table.
Roberto De Zerbi, who arrived in March, played a key role, and Tottenham backed him heavily in the summer.
Spurs, who invested over €350m, signed 10 players and three arrived as free agents. Van Hecke was one of the new faces, arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion for around €60m.
This season, the Netherlands international has played every minute in the Premier League and also started in Tottenham’s EFL Cup win over Charlton Athletic.
Unhappy with Spurs’ collapse against Aston Villa
Jan Paul van Hecke was in ‘disbelief’ after his side suffered a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa at home last Saturday.
That’s according to Algemeen Dagblad, who cover the centre-back’s comments about his side’s poor start.
Spurs had failed to score in their first four league matches. At the weekend, they went 3-0 down before Conor Gallagher and the Dutchman made it 3-2.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side are bottom of the table with two points. The 26-year-old admits he wasn’t expecting this start to his new life in the English capital.
He said: “We had imagined it would be different. The way we play and concede goals is unacceptable. The way the energy drained away from the team is simply not right.”
Aston Villa took the lead at the end of the first half, after Andy Robertson decided against kicking the ball away when Micky van de Ven wasn’t on the pitch. The summer signing says Tottenham collapsed in the second half against the Villans.
“It couldn’t get any worse. You know you’re down to 10 men. Then it’s smarter to kick the ball out, so you can wait until Micky gets back,” Van Hecke explained.
“You say to each other: ‘Come on, boys. We are much better.’ And then you give it all away completely.”
| Every Tottenham Hotspur signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Sandro Tonali | Newcastle United | £92.5m |
| Mateus Fernandes | West Ham United | £85m |
| Sávio | Manchester City | £75m |
| Jan Paul van Hecke | Brighton | £52m |
| Tosin Adarabioyo | Chelsea | £7m |
| Marcos Senesi | Bournemouth | Free |
| Andy Robertson | Liverpool | Free |
| Martin Dúbravka | Burnley | Free |
| Cole Ramsey | Aston Villa | Free |
Van Hecke now away from Tottenham mess
New Netherlands manager Xavi Hernández has included the Tottenham Hotspur player in his first squad.
“Xavi called me himself. Very positive. I am looking forward to it. A fresh start after the World Cup. The fact that his philosophy leans on attacking football is wonderful,” he added.
The international break will allow Jan Paul van Hecke to put the difficult spell with Spurs aside and focus on the national team.
After the break, Tottenham travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, who have also not enjoyed a good start to the season.
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💬 “I had a very good relationship…— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 18, 2026
