Jan Paul van Hecke is on the shortlist for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for October, and Roberto De Zerbi is up for Manager of the Month, not long after Spurs were sitting bottom of the table.
The Premier League named both shortlists on Thursday. Van Hecke is one of eight players in the running, while De Zerbi is one of six managers, after three straight league wins to finish October.
The centre-back, though, is not taking the credit for himself. Asked about Tottenham’s new defensive solidity, Van Hecke pointed to the players in front of him.
Why is Van Hecke up for Player of the Month?
Because nobody passed the ball more. No player attempted or completed more passes than the Dutchman in October, as Spurs beat Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
The Palace game was his best of the lot. He scored late in the 2-0 win and completed 143 passes, a club record for a Premier League game, on the day Spurs broke two of their own Premier League passing records.
It is quite a turnaround for a player who faced plenty of pressure at the start of the season after his summer move from Brighton. Spurs are now unbeaten in four league games and have conceded just three goals in that time.
‘It starts up front’: what Van Hecke said
Van Hecke said: “I think it’s really hard work that starts up front. If you see the boys, how hard they work, how many balls they recover, it makes it so much easier for us. Of course, we have good defenders, we have good goalkeepers, so that does also help, but I think it is about the collective.”
He also spoke about his partnership with fellow Netherlands international Micky van de Ven, telling the club’s website: “We are really good friends, so it is really nice to play together in the same team. We love it.”
“That is our fourth clean sheet and we are both really happy to play together, but it is not only us, it is the rest as well. If you see how much effort everyone puts in, it is great,” he added.
Who else is on the Player of the Month shortlist?
Van Hecke is up against Bournemouth’s Evanilson, Aston Villa’s Nicolas Jackson, Coventry City’s Jack Rudoni, two Arsenal players, and Brighton pair Bart Verbruggen and Luka Vušković. Evanilson and Jackson scored four goals each in October, so the defender has serious competition.
Can De Zerbi win Manager of the Month?
He has a real case. De Zerbi turned Tottenham’s season around in October, finishing it with three straight wins, including the statement win at Chelsea, where Mathys Tel’s run has just been voted the club’s Goal of the Month.
The competition is strong, though. Xabi Alonso of Chelsea, Mikel Arteta of Arsenal, Unai Emery of Aston Villa, Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler, who won September’s award, and Bournemouth’s Marco Rose complete the six.
Fans can vote until 12:00 GMT on Monday 9 November. Their votes are combined with those of a panel of football experts, and the winners are revealed next week.
Is Van Hecke the best signing of Tottenham’s summer?
On October’s evidence, it is hard to argue otherwise. He already featured heavily when Spurs dominated the Premier League team of the week, and De Zerbi’s whole way of playing runs through his passing from the back.
Whether he wins the award or not matters less than what comes next. Spurs travel to Leeds on Saturday chasing four straight Premier League wins for the first time since October 2023, and if Van Hecke keeps this up, a nomination will not be the last time his name comes up in November.
