Roberto De Zerbi definitively settled the Lucas Bergvall debate
At one point, it seemed like Tottenham Hotspur center midfielder Lucas Bergvall was destined to leave N17, as the Swedish international submitted a transfer request to the club during the summer while at the World Cup after he saw that Spurs would be adding both Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to further crowd him out of the midfield.
And while Roberto De Zerbi did leave the door open for Bergvall to leave if he really wants to, what the manager truly did was talk with Bergvall behind the scenes and convince the young center midfielder to commit to Spurs. Now, Tottenham have signed Bergvall to a new contract, even though he was poor in the first match of the 2026/27 Premier League season and even in his start against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup.
There have been a lot of mixed opinions about Bergvall from Tottenham Hotspur fans this summer, with some believing in his upside and blaming Thomas Frank for derailing his career, while others think Bergvall lacks the proper mentality and may have been overrated by the club in the first place.
Roberto De Zerbi already thinks Lucas Bergvall is a good footballer
Roberto De Zerbi settled all those issues to the press before Tottenham's game against Everton, saying definitively that Spurs believe in Bergvall's future potential but also think that he is already a good player now, even as they acknowledge all the things the midfielder has to take upon himself to improve in the future.
The Italian manager said of Lucas Bergvall, via The Spurs Watch:
“We spoke three days ago and I said, ‘Lucas, a player like you can’t lose two balls like you lost in the Brentford game. Especially in that game, in that moment of the game. You are playing in the first XI. I can’t change my opinion about your qualities because you are a big talent, but in the end, you have to improve in experience. You can improve experience by playing, yes, but understanding the improvement we have to do. He agreed. He’s a smart guy. Yesterday I spoke with his mother and father. Great people. And now I’d like to stay in touch with the father, because I would like to help the player. I would like to help the guy before the player, because he’s a big potential, and we didn’t accept offers in the transfer market for him - big offer. So, I think the confidence the club has, the coach has, is high. Because maybe ok we spent, but we have players good enough to sell and to bring in money, and if we didn’t sell Lucas, it’s because all of us are convinced to have a big future potential player, but also now he’s a good player.”
Bergvall can be a wonderful footballer in the not so distant future for Tottenham, and there's a reason why De Zerbi sanctioned an additional contract extension for him; he is convinced he can turn Bergie into a superstar midfielder one day.
