Van Hecke vs De Cuyper for FPL GW10: Which Defender Should You Buy?

For a new purchase covering GW10–13, we lean towards Jan Paul van Hecke when value and a strong league minutes record come first. The Spurs defender offers a cheaper route than Brighton's Maxim De Cuyper. De Cuyper is a reasonable alternative if you prefer his attacking involvement and do not need the saving elsewhere.

Already own one? There is no automatic reason to switch. If the proposed sale is a fit Riccardo Calafiori before Hull at home, keeping your transfer deserves serious consideration.

GW10 deadline: Friday 6 November 2026, 18:30 GMT (02:30 Beijing time on Saturday 7 November). Prices, availability flags, league histories and fixtures were refreshed from official FPL data on 6 November 2026 at 01:17 UTC. European results through 5 November are included below. Friday's final team news and any later price changes still need checking before you buy. Official deadline

The key differences

Figures cover GW1–9 from the official FPL player feed and the individual match histories refreshed on 6 November. Both were available at that check. FPL assists use the game's scoring definition.

Van Hecke is a Tottenham player, having joined from Brighton in summer 2026. This is a comparison across two clubs, not between Brighton team-mates. Official Spurs profile

De Cuyper's lower minutes total does not mean he has struggled for starts: he started all nine and reached 60 minutes in each. Van Hecke completed all nine matches; De Cuyper's most recent four league appearances lasted 67, 90, 90 and 71 minutes.

Van Hecke offers value and a strong appearance record

The £0.4m snapshot saving matters most when it completes another useful move. It matters less if you leave the money unused and prefer De Cuyper's attacking involvement.

Van Hecke's official match history showed at least 10 defensive-contribution actions in three of his nine league matches, compared with none for De Cuyper. That offers another route to points, but three qualifying matches do not establish a dependable return every week.

His latest haul also needs context. Tottenham's official account of the Palace win confirms his goal and clean sheet, in a match against ten men. His 0.94 expected goals in that league game represented more than half his 1.63 season total. Buy for the price, appearance record and upcoming opponents; do not project that single match forward. Spurs' October review

De Cuyper offers more attacking involvement

De Cuyper's two goals and four FPL assists compare with Van Hecke's two goals and no assists. His season expected goals plus expected assists were also higher in the snapshot: 3.17 against 2.32, despite fewer minutes.

The distribution matters. De Cuyper's opening match supplied 1.47 of his 2.09 season expected goals. Across the latest four league matches, his combined expected goals and assists were 0.95, against Van Hecke's 1.21, with the latter heavily influenced by the Palace game. Neither short window supports a precise points prediction.

Our earlier De Cuyper comparison discussed his advanced involvement. That dated assessment is not a guarantee of his next position, set-piece role or minutes.

Brighton won 1–0 at Getafe on 5 November. De Cuyper began on the bench and replaced Jaouen Hadjam in the 71st minute, according to Brighton's official match centre and line-up record. That was roughly 19 regulation minutes plus stoppage time. The refreshed FPL feed lists him as available with no injury note. His European appearance has now been checked; his recovery and Brighton's final Brentford team news still need monitoring. Do not treat a short appearance or an unflagged FPL entry as a guaranteed league start.

GW10–13 fixtures

Schedule from the official FPL fixtures checked on 6 November. Spurs' four-round run supports the value case, while Brighton's Brentford–Hull pair is appealing for a shorter hold. Your own rotation options matter: a player you can bench in GW13 need not be assessed like one you must start every week.

These opponents do not establish clean-sheet probabilities or identify which defender will score more. Check the latest Spurs news too before buying Van Hecke.

Should Calafiori owners sell?

Calafiori was £5.9m and available at the snapshot, coming off 90 minutes in GW9 after a 22-minute GW8 appearance. With Hull at home next, selling solely because of the earlier benching would ignore the newer league evidence.

Our GW9 Arsenal defender article cautioned against treating one substitute appearance as proof that he had lost his place. A use for the saving, a longer-term fixture plan or fresh news weakening his outlook could still justify selling. Calculate the saving from your actual sale proceeds using the selling-price calculator.

The transfer decision

• Buying for value and a four-round hold: lean Van Hecke, subject to final team news.
• Willing to pay for attacking involvement: De Cuyper is a reasonable alternative, with a short Getafe substitute appearance confirmed and final recovery news still to check.
• Already own either player: hold unless the other move has a purpose beyond chasing last week's points.
• Own a fit Calafiori: Hull at home supports pausing before a sideways transfer, especially for a hit.
• Have an injured attacker or cannot field an XI: solve that problem before a marginal defensive upgrade.

Compare the full XI in Team Planner. The useful question is what the transfer improves over the next few rounds, including what the money enables elsewhere.