There was a time when a World Cup would effectively put the summer transfer window on pause.Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker made Barcelona wait until after the 1986 World Cup, even after they had attempted to issue a “now or never” ultimatum to his agent, delivered by phone to his hotel in Mexico.There were no such complications with Barcelona signing their latest England star, Anthony Gordon, who joined the Spanish champions from Newcastle United for €80million (£69.3m; $93.2m) before flying out to meet his international team-mates.Tottenham have been decisive in their pre-tournament moves too. They have signed experienced Premier League duo Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively, as free agents — and their continued activity suggests they are far from done.Spurs got out in front of the competition to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion for £52million ($68.6m). Sporting a nasty black eye — cue the Spurs injury jokes — sustained in their 2-2 draw with Japan, his World Cup debut, Van Hecke completed his medical in Kansas City, where the Netherlands are based.Like Robertson and Senesi, Van Hecke is a player Tottenham admired long before Roberto De Zerbi took the reins on March 31. With one year remaining on his contract, Van Hecke, 26, represented an opportunity to sign a player with Premier League and elite international experience, approaching his prime, for less than their typical market value. De Zerbi, with whom he shares a “really strong connection” after working together at Brighton, provided the final flourish.After the January window, sporting director Johan Lange spoke publicly about the intention to pursue “the right players” who could help the team’s long-term ambitions, rather than be influenced by short-term fixes.