An update has emerged on Sunderland and their pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke in the summer transfer window…
What’s the talk?
Blackburn Rovers reporter Rich Sharpe has claimed that the Black Cats are set to beat their Championship rivals to the signing of the 22-year-old.
The Dutchman is expected to put pen to paper on a new deal with Premier League side Brighton before arriving at the Stadium of Light.
Sharpe Tweeted: “Rovers’ hopes of signing Jan Paul van Hecke set to be dashed, as expecting him to sign a new contract with Brighton and then join Sunderland on loan… …better news in that there’s an expectation the Sepp van Berg deal will go through.”
Dream Daniel Ballard replacement
By securing this deal for the defender, Sunderland could be bringing in a dream replacement for injured centre-back Daniel Ballard.
Will Jan Paul van Hecke be a good signing?
Alex Neil recently confirmed that the former Arsenal man is facing a spell on the sidelines, saying: “Dan has a small fracture in his foot. He’s going to be out for the foreseeable future, but it is difficult to put a timescale on it.
“We have a few other scans to undertake – and a couple of specialists to see – to fully understand the severity of it, but that process is underway to ensure he then receives the necessary treatment to get him back as soon as we can.”
This has left the club without the player they brought in to start on the right of their back three and van Hecke can now come in to fill that void.
The £4.1k-per-week gem is a right-footed centre-back, which suggests that he would be comfortable on that side of the defence, and he has proven that he has the quality to be a solid player in the Championship.
In the second tier last season, van Hecke averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 across 31 outings in the division compared to Ballard’s score of 6.95 on loan at Millwall.
Defensively, the Dutchman – who has been dubbed “highly regarded” by Josh Bunting – caught the eye with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game and a 60% win rate in his individual duels.
Meanwhile, the former Gunners gem made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per match and won 64% of his battles against opposition players.
These statistics suggest that the two players, who are both 22, have a similar skill level in the Championship as their defensive numbers are not vastly different, whilst van Hecke has the edge when it comes to the average standard of his performances.
