Jan Paul van Hecke is demonstrating that some critics were too quick to write him off, with the centre-back getting a prestigious nomination on the back of his last four performances for Tottenham.Van Hecke, like many of Spurs’ other summer signings, did not hit the ground running, but he has been coming into his own over the last few weeks.The 26-year-old’s centre-back partnership with Micky van de Ven has been one of the league’s best for ball progression and passing out from the back.They have also shown that they can be extremely solid defensively, with Tottenham having conceded just once in their last three matches.Van Hecke was nominated for the Player of the Week award for gameweek 9 after shutting out Crystal Palace and scoring his first Spurs goal, and he is now in line for an even more prestigious prize.Credit: @thatfootballphotog / InstagramTottenham star Jan Paul van Hecke nominated for October’s Player of the Month awardAcross their four matches in October, Spurs have picked up 10 points from a possible 12 on offer, with a draw against Man United and three successive wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Saturday 31st October Premier League TottenhamTottenham2|0Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace Saturday 24th October Premier League ChelseaChelsea0|2TottenhamTottenham Monday 19th October Premier League TottenhamTottenham3|1CoventryCoventry Saturday 10th October Premier League Manchester UnitedManchester United1|1TottenhamTottenhamTottenham’s upturn in form has been built on an extremely tight back line, but Van Hecke has also been instrumental in helping the Lilywhites dominate possession and progress the ball up the pitch.J. van HeckeTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances9Minutes Played810Average Rating7.73Goals2Tackles16Blocks10Interceptions9Duels Won54Fouls Committed11Yellow Cards2Red Cards0Stats correct as of 5 November 2026.In fact, the former Brighton man even broke a Spurs record by completing 123 passes against Palace, which is the most ever by a Tottenham player in a single Premier League game.The Netherlands international has now made the eight-man shortlist for the Premier League Player of the Month award for October.Ezri KonsaDeclan RiceEvanilsonJan Paul van HeckeNicolas JacksonLuka VuskovicBart VerbruggenJack RudoniOwning October 💪It’s time to vote for your @EASPORTSFC Player of the Month 👇https://t.co/7fBNeUJafm https://t.co/bHU198Z5nu— Premier League (@premierleague) November 5, 2026The Van Hecke vs Luka Vuskovic debate is still not settledThe fact that both the Tottenham summer signing and Luka Vuskovic have been nominated for the award means the debate will continue on who got the better deal.Many have already concluded that Spurs made a historic mistake by swapping Van Hecke for the Croat, but the data suggests that the Dutchman has been at least as good for the Lilywhites as Vuskovic has been for the Seagulls.In fact, as per SofaScore, the 26-year-old Tottenham man has the highest performance rating across the Premier League so far this season.The argument in favour of Vuskovic is that he is still very young and has an extremely high ceiling, but after two 17th-place finishes, what Spurs arguably needed more was experienced leaders, who could slot into the team and make the difference straightaway.The proof, as always, will be in the pudding. If Tottenham achieve Champions League qualification this season and Brighton do not, the Lilywhites’ decision will be vindicated.READ MORE: Five questions Roberto De Zerbi must answer ahead of Leeds United vs TottenhamThe post Tottenham star nominated for Premier League Player of the Month for October appeared first on Spurs Web.