How Does Luka Vuskovic Compare To Jan Paul Van Hecke?

This summer Brighton and Hove Albion smashed their transfer record to bring in teenage sensation Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham Hotspur. He was signed to replace outgoing Jan Paul Van Hecke, moving the other way to Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs. Two months on, many are pondering who got the better deal - so let's take a deeper look into their seasons so far. 

Jan Paul Van Hecke. The Dutch centre back served the Albion well, contributing to two European qualifications and forging a reliable partnership with Lewis Dunk. However, following his move to Spurs, Brighton turned heads by signing teenage wonderkid Luka Vuskovic to replace the outgoing Dutchman. So, how do they compare to each other?

First, it’s important to notice the similarities between the two. Both are tall, strong players capable of dealing with physical strikers and winning their battles. Van Hecke’s rivalry with City striker Erling Haaland is a perfect example of this. Every time they face each other, it brings the best out of both players – frequently ending up being a war for 90 minutes.

Vuskovic shares the same quality, as seen in the recent demolition of Crystal Palace. Striker Jorgen Strand Larsen was thoroughly beaten by Vuskovic until being subbed off. In fact, I would argue Vuskovic bullied Strand Larsen off the pitch due to his sheer physical presence.

Additionally, the stats point towards Vuskovic being marginally better defensively. The Croatian has won 48 duels in the Premier League so far this season, with Van Hecke winning 40. Overall, Vuskovic trumps Van Hecke in overall defensive contributions too – clocking up 70 contributions to Van Hecke’s 65.

On the other hand, Van Hecke looks to be superior in terms of passing. It’s important to realise De Zerbi’s tactics rely heavily on building from the back and require pinpoint passing from his defenders.

This being said, Van Hecke has completed 510 passes to Vuskovic’s 414 – but also boasts a higher pass completion percentage than his Croatian counterpart.

Van Hecke also tends to be more positive on the ball, completing 143 line-breaking passes to Vuskovic’s 64. Though, this could also be influenced by Hurzeler and De Zerbi’s systems. As previously mentioned, De Zerbi expects a lot more positivity from his centre backs, leading to Van Hecke having more passes on average than Vuskovic.

It’s also important to consider more negative aspects of their respective games. For example, Van Hecke made several high-profile mistakes towards the end of last season, potentially caused by his rumoured move away from the club.

One particular mistake springs to mind, against Leeds in the penultimate game of the season. Brighton needed a win to qualify for Europe – but a draw would’ve been satisfactory.

In the 95th minute of the game, an overhit Leeds through ball found Van Hecke. Without looking up, Van Hecke turned around and played the ball directly into the path of Leeds striker Dominic Calvert Lewin. This killed any chance Brighton had of qualifying for Europe that afternoon.

Whilst the positives of Van Hecke’s time at the AMEX outweighs the negatives, I believe Vuskovic’s composure is far superior. There have been numerous times where Vuskovic has dealt with a dangerous moment using his calmness to his advantage. The ability to avoid mistakes is what separates the two and leads me to believe Brighton have improved by replacing Van Hecke with Vuskovic.

Furthermore, Luka Vuskovic is improving game by game. At 26 years old, Jan Paul Van Hecke is approaching his peak years as a centre back. Vuskovic is impressing Albion fans at just 19 years of age. It’s likely that if Vuskovic continues his stellar performances and rapid growth, he'll be tempted to play for a European juggernaut. With interest from Barcelona, Vuskovic has the potential to be one of the best in Europe in the coming years.