'Seriously a lot of money' for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke raises eyebrows: 'They're doing the polonaise in Breda'

He sees the deal as inextricably linked to Roberto De Zerbi's arrival at Spurs. Van Hecke and De Zerbi previously worked together at Brighton and Hove Albion, a partnership that clearly suited both. "That will have been a major factor in this transfer. I genuinely wish the lad all the best. He's a down-to-earth player who has steadily built his career with the steps he's taken," Maaskant praises in the Sportnieuws.nl World Cup football podcast.

However, he still believes the amount is incredibly high. "I think he's performing well at this World Cup, what he's showing is fine. But I find sixty million for that type of player seriously a lot of money. If you look at his position, and all the talent already out there in the world... I don't know if he'd make a top-10 list."

Hedwiges Maduro, also present in the podcast, agrees that the sum is substantial. "But those figures are always high for domestic transfers in England. I also think it's a really good sign for the Dutch national team," he explains. "He'll be playing alongside Micky van de Ven there. For the future, it's great if they're already perfectly attuned to each other; they can just take over that central defense."

With the sky-high amount involved in this transfer, several clubs in the Netherlands will be absolutely delighted. Van Hecke's former clubs are set to profit handsomely. "I think the amateur clubs in Zeeland are happy. JVOZ gets 1.2 million and VV Goes three hundred thousand. Those are nice sums for an amateur club," says football reporter Aron Kattenpoel. "I can see them doing the 'polonaise' down here in Breda too," Maaskant laughs.

Kattenpoel confirms: "NAC will receive a record amount from him. They got 4.5 million in sell-on percentage. They already earned 2.5 million from his previous transfer, so that's about seven million euros extra."

Maaskant listens to the figures and struggles to understand the system. "I think it's good that everyone profits if you've contributed to a career. When these kinds of sums just fall into your lap, like with Willem II and RKC for Frenkie de Jong back then. That's bizarre. He hadn't even played a single match for them. Yet they earned millions from it, which is a bit strange."

In the new Sportnieuws.nl World Cup football podcast, Robert Maaskant, alongside Hedwiges Maduro and football pundit Aron Kattenpoel Oude Heerink, discusses the latest developments at the World Cup and with the Dutch national team. They witnessed a phenomenal Lionel Messi, who, according to the gentlemen, has now definitively surpassed Diego Maradona, and enjoyed France with star player Kylian Mbappé.

Jan Paul van Hecke's impressive transfer is also discussed, and Maduro and Maaskant debate the 'too soft' coaching staff of the Dutch national team. Listen to a new episode every day at 7:30 AM on your favorite podcast platform.