Tottenham have announced the signing of Jan Paul van Hecke as Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuild begins to take shape. Spurs are looking to improve on what was a dismal campaign last year, as they avoided what would have been a shock Premier League relegation on the final day. West Ham went down in their place, with De Zerbi leading the north Londoners to a 17th-place finish.
De Zerbi's first transfer window
The Italian has now been backed in his first transfer window at the helm, with the likes of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson arriving on free transfers, while big money has been spent on the engine room. Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali have been signed from West Ham and Newcastle respectively for a combined £185million, while Spurs have landed Van Hecke to shore up their defence further.
Van Hecke's shirt number
The Dutchman was signed for £52m from Brighton and Hove Albion, and he will wear the No6 shirt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 26-year-old follows in the footsteps of loan star Joao Palhinha, who was the most recent recipient of the squad number. The midfielder returned to parent club Bayern Munich after Spurs did not activate their option to purchase the former Fulham man, and as such, Van Hecke has been handed his shirt. Radu Dragusin, now of Fiorentina, also sported the No6 on his back, while Davinson Sanchez held it between 2017 and 2023. Historically, the likes of Chris Perry, Tom Huddlestone and Nabil Bentaleb have all worn the number, while Steve Perryman and Gary Mabbutt are perhaps the two most famous names to have had the No6 emblazoned across their backs.
