'JP' made his name under Roberto De Zerbi at the Amex, where he made 118 appearances for Brighton in the last three seasons having initially signed for them in 2020. He represented the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup.
Life before Spurs
Born in Arnemuiden, Jan Paul signed for NAC Breda in 2018. His first full season in the Eerste Divisie – Holland’s second tier – persuaded Brighton to sign him in 2020. Loaned back to Holland and Eredivisie side Heerenveen in 2020/21, then Blackburn in 2021/22, JP made his first appearances for Brighton in 2022/23, their best season, including European qualification and the FA Cup semi-final. JP established himself in Roberto De Zerbi’s progressive team the following season. He featured 118 times for Brighton in the next three seasons. In 2024/25, he claimed the club’s Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards and last season, 2025/26, he played in 36 of 38 matches of an impressive Premier League campaign, where he registered the second highest number of passes in the Premier League with over 2,500 while only two players enjoyed more touches of the ball in the competition.
Netherlands
Capped eight times for Netherlands Under-21s, Jan Paul earned his first senior cap in September, 2024, in a 2-2 draw with Germany. His performances earned a place in Netherlands’ 2026 World Cup squad and he scored his first international goal in a 3–1 victory over Tunisia during the group stages. At the end of the tournament, JP had 16 caps to his name.
Netherlands
Netherlands