“Defence wins championships” is a phrase used regularly by Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hurzeler.
Maintaining a solid base will be tested by the sale of Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham Hotspur as Brighton undergo a squad reset in the centre of defence for a second successive summer.
Van Hecke’s move ends a partnership with long-serving skipper Lewis Dunk that Hurzeler had relied upon throughout the first two seasons of his reign. They featured together in nearly 70 per cent of Premier League games under the German (52 out of 76).
Van Hecke and Dunk were the bedrock of consecutive eighth-placed finishes. Only champions Arsenal (27) and runners-up Manchester City (35) conceded fewer than Brighton’s 46 goals in 2025-26. Their domination meant few opportunities for Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola, two arrivals last summer.
The rebuild will be different this time without Van Hecke, especially with the additional fixtures in the Conference League, which increases the likelihood of rotation. New signings Luka Vuskovic, Pascal Struijk and Michael Svoboda will all be fighting for game time.
Van Hecke’s departure continues a familiar pattern of at least one major summer sale as part of Brighton’s model of buying low, developing, and selling high. Fair value was achieved for the Netherlands international, who would have been out of contract in 2027 and had shown no appetite to agree a new deal. The £52million ($69m) fee is another healthy profit — Van Hecke was signed from NAC Breda for £1.8m in 2020.
Jan Paul van Hecke celebrates Brighton’s 1-0 win against Sunderland in March (George Wood/Getty Images)
Van Hecke is the club’s biggest centre-back sale, eclipsing the £50m received from Arsenal in 2021 for Ben White (who has since played more regularly at right-back). It is the fourth-highest cash injection across all positions, behind Moises Caicedo (£115m), Marc Cucurella (£63m) and Joao Pedro (£60m).
But while this summer’s big-money departure is in keeping with what we’ve come to expect from Brighton, the incomings are different from the norm. Brighton do not usually spend anywhere near as big on young players as the club record £46m outlay on Vuskovic, whose arrival is due to be confirmed by the club shortly. They have made an exception for an exceptional talent, one of the brightest centre-back prospects in world football.
Vuskovic only turned 19 in February, but he has already made six senior caps, including in Croatia’s 4-2 defeat against England in their World Cup opener. Vuskovic, who is 6ft 4in (193cm), had an impressive loan spell with Hamburg in the Bundesliga last season, scoring six goals in 28 league appearances ranging from towering headers to a clever backheel flick.
Dominant in the air and comfortable carrying the ball, Vuskovic has been described by Hamburg full-back Miro Muheim as “a monster”. He never made an official appearance for Tottenham after moving from Hajduk Split in February 2025, and could not see a pathway to first-team minutes.
Brighton can provide that opportunity. Although the fee may seem excessive, Vuskovic is seven years younger than Van Hecke and has huge potential for growth in his game. Considering Brighton’s track record in player development, it is not unreasonable to think they will make a significant profit on Vuskovic at some point.
What about Struijk and Svoboda? As well as compensating for Van Hecke’s exit, they fill a perceived ‘peak’ age gap in the squad, which until now had been dominated by a combination of young players and old heads. Struijk is 26 years old, Svoboda 27.
Favourable contract terms have been exploited to land both players for reasonable fees. Struijk’s deal at Leeds was due to expire in June 2027, so they were at risk of losing him for nothing as a free agent in 12 months.
Leeds sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they are not permitted to do so publicly, claim they will receive £18million with a potential £2m in add-ons. Brighton sources say, also anonymously, that the figure is closer to a £15m guaranteed, with £3m in add-ons.
Pascal Struijk during Leeds’ 0-0 draw with Brentford in March (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Either way, Brighton have a proven Premier League performer at a pretty good price. Left-footer Struijk made 119 appearances across his four top-flight seasons after joining Leeds from Ajax’s academy at 18 in 2018.
Born in Belgium, Struijk moved to The Hague as a child. He represented the Netherlands’ under-17s in 2016 and was named to a provisional squad of 39 by national coach Louis van Gaal for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Dutch are in a state of flux, with their last-32 exit from the 2026 World Cup resulting in the resignation of Van Gaal’s successor, Ronald Koeman.
If Struijk thrives in his new surroundings, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he could feature in future Netherlands squads with Van Hecke.
Svoboda was in the Austria World Cup squad but did not add to his four caps before they lost 3-0 to Spain in the last 32. He has been snapped up for a modest sum, as Brighton met a £4.3m release clause in his contract with Italian Serie B champions Venezia. Svoboda will bring leadership qualities to the group, having captained Venezia to their second-tier title.
Hurzeler likes centre-backs who bring intensity to their defensive duties and are comfortable in possession. “I am a pretty physical guy who also likes to have the ball at his feet, can read the game on the pitch well,” Svoboda said during an interview with club media after arriving at the training ground on Saturday. “I think that fits quite well.”
All of this activity means Coppola is set to leave — for a profit on the £9.4m fee paid to Hellas Verona a year ago. The 22-year-old Italian, frustrated by a lack of minutes, joined Paris FC on loan in the January window for the rest of last season. He fitted in well in the French capital, making 13 appearances as they finished just below halfway in 11th place in the Ligue 1 table.
Igor Julio is also poised to depart. The Brazilian has not made a league start under Hurzeler since May 2025 and he spent the first half of last season on loan at West Ham United. Eiran Cashin is likely to be on his way out again following loan spells in the Championship last season at Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers.
That would leave Hurzeler with a pool of Dunk, Vusuvic, Struijk, Svodoba and Boscagli after Adam Webster was released at the end of last season — he missed the whole of 2025-26 with a knee injury. This broadens Hurzeler’s scope to sometimes play with a back three, a system he used at former club St Pauli, although he has stuck almost exclusively to a back four at Brighton.
How it all fits together without Van Hecke will dictate whether the goals-against column remains low.
