Brighton have responded to Jan Paul van Hecke’s departure by rebuilding Fabian Hürzeler’s centre-back group with youth, Premier League experience and leadership.
Van Hecke completed a permanent transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in June. The reported £52m fee represented another outstanding return for a player signed from NAC Breda for around £1.8m in 2020.
The financial outcome fits Brighton’s recruitment model. The sporting consequences are harder to measure.
Van Hecke had become Hürzeler’s most dependable defender. He made 36 Premier League appearances last season and started alongside Lewis Dunk in most of Brighton’s league matches during the German’s first two campaigns.
Brighton’s official farewell confirmed that Van Hecke left after 131 appearances. Replacing that experience and continuity will require more than one successful signing.
Vuskovic brings a higher long-term ceiling
Luka Vuskovic is the headline addition.
Brighton have broken their transfer record to sign the 19-year-old from Tottenham, investing around £46m before add-ons. It is an unusual fee for Albion to commit to a teenage defender.
The club clearly believe his potential justifies the exception.
Vuskovic stands at 6ft 4in and is dominant in the air. He is also confident carrying possession and stepping into midfield, qualities needed from defenders in Hürzeler’s system.
His attacking record is equally striking. The Croatia international has scored 16 goals in 78 senior club appearances, including six during his Bundesliga loan with Hamburg last season.
Brighton’s official announcement confirmed a five-year contract with an additional club option. Hürzeler also warned that Vuskovic will need time to adjust to the Premier League.
ReadBrighton has already examined how Vuskovic’s transfer structure creates a calculated long-term gamble. Tottenham retain matching rights and a reported sell-on clause, reducing some of Brighton’s control over a future sale.
His immediate football value therefore becomes even more important.
Struijk and Svoboda reduce Brighton’s risk
Brighton have not asked Vuskovic to replace Van Hecke alone.
Pascal Struijk arrives with 119 Premier League appearances and gives Hürzeler a natural left-footed option. At 26, he is entering his peak years and should require less adaptation than Brighton’s record signing.
Michael Svoboda provides another experienced profile. The 27-year-old captained Venezia to promotion from Serie B and joined after Brighton activated a modest release clause.
Together, Struijk and Svoboda address an age gap within a defensive group previously split between developing players and established veterans.
ReadBrighton previously explored how Struijk gives Hürzeler immediate certainty after Van Hecke’s departure.
Lewis Dunk remains the senior leader, while Olivier Boscagli enters his second season after limited opportunities during his first campaign.
The additional depth could also allow Hürzeler to use a back three more regularly. That system formed an important part of his work at St Pauli but has rarely been seen at Brighton.
Hürzeler must build a new partnership quickly
The greater challenge is creating a settled first-choice pairing.
Van Hecke and Dunk understood each other’s positioning and had already developed trust in possession. Brighton cannot recreate that relationship through transfer fees alone.
Conference League football will bring more rotation, but Hürzeler still needs a reliable core for Premier League matches.
Vuskovic offers the highest ceiling. Struijk provides the safest immediate option. Svoboda brings physicality and leadership, while Boscagli should be better prepared after a full year in England.
Brighton have not replaced one centre-back with another. They have changed the structure of the entire department.
The recruitment looks balanced and ambitious. Whether it succeeds will be decided by how quickly Hürzeler finds combinations capable of protecting the defensive standards Van Hecke helped establish.
