Better than Vuskovic: Spurs ready to complete £70m deal this weekend

After Roberto De Zerbi replaced Igor Tudor during the March international break, Tottenham Hotspur won as many Premier League points as Aston Villa and Liverpool, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

You’ll need no reminder that Spurs finished 17th, only securing their top-flight status on the final game of the season, beating Everton 1-0 at home.

Abject. Atrocious. Appauling. Pick your adjective; all tell a similar tale for a Tottenham side who have collapsed in on themselves over the past year, coming within a whisker of the drop.

De Zerbi’s appointment could be a game-changer, though. He has kept the club up, and now he plans to lift the Londoners back up to the top of the Premier League. To achieve this, he needs new signings.

Spurs in talks to sign Premier League defender

The transfer window still isn’t officially open, but Tottenham have already welcomed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi to the fold, experienced Premier League defenders tailored to the build-up structure needed for De Zerbi’s system to purr.

With Cristian Romero expected to leave the club this summer, Spurs may need to push for another defender, especially as the young and talented Luka Vuskovic has been the subject of a £30m offer from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 18-year-old has spent the 2024/25 campaign out on loan in Germany with Hamburg, and The Athletic’s David Ornstein has confirmed that the Croatian wants to move to the south coast.

It’s frustrating, and many will consider Brighton’s opening offer laughable, but this one may develop over the coming weeks, especially when considering ENIC want to take one of the AMEX’s star players.

According to GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham are ready to lodge another bid for Brighton centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke, with the decision-makers hoping to secure his signature this weekend.

The 26-year-old is one of the best in the business, and while he only has one year remaining on his Brighton contract, his employers have valued him at £70m, a figure Spurs hope to whittle down.

Why Van Hecke could be better than Vuskovic for Spurs

Van Hecke has worked under De Zerbi before, establishing himself in the Premier League within the former Brighton manager’s Seagulls system. Those early seeds have allowed a progressive passing game to take root, and it might just lead him to a resurgent Spurs side.

Having made 131 appearances for Brighton, Netherlands international Van Hecke has built up plenty of experience on the big stage, and that could see him establish himself as a mainstay for De Zerbi’s project from the off. After all, with Romero set to leave, it’s crucial that Spurs sign a ready-to-go replacement.

Van Vecke is also one of the best ball-playing defenders in Europe, someone who matches Vuskovic’s own modern-day skillset. Whether Tottenham manage to complete the deal is as yet uncertain, but he will definitely bring the right style, with more maturity and experience than the Croatia prodigy.

Vuskovic is already establishing himself as one of the finest duellists in Europe, but he only won 55% of his ground battles, and we all know that stepping over to the Premier League can consume talented up-and-comers.

Xavi Simons had established himself as quite the young superstar in the Bundesliga, for example, but he struggled to channel and maintain his creativity in the English top flight this season, and that before his campaign was cruelly ended by an ACL injury.

Adapting to th English game is no easy task, but Van Hecke is there already. De Zerbi and Tottenham cannot afford a slow start next season, and Van Hecke’s ease on the ball and his stern defending could help change the narrative in north London.

It should go without saying that Vuskovic’s long-term future should be with Tottenham, but if he needs to head out on another loan spell next season, so be it.

The focus is simple: sign Van Hecke without losing Vuskovic’s services. Both have something to offer, but Van Hecke’s impact would be greater at this stage.