Tottenham should not sell midfielder to Dutch champions
By Gary Pearson
Wait to see what effect a new manager has
A new coach could change Bergwijn’s fortune dramatically, and with immediacy.
It’s hard enough for a 23-year-old man to move to a foreign country, let alone after being purchased for £30 million. That intense pressure can have an untoward impact on even the strongest, most experienced individuals.
Countless promising talented individuals have moved to England and buckled under the unrelenting, omnipresent pressure that playing for a Premier League team entails. Teammate Tanguy Ndombele can attest. The Frenchman, also after scoring a debut goal, endured a nightmare transition to English football. Out of sorts, listless and unhappy, Tanguy was on the verge of a near-immediate London exit.
But he recovered, and for a time, showcased his abundant talent. If we show patience and allow Bergwijn to at least try to overcome the enormous challenges that moving to a high-pressure Premier League environment encompasses, he has the potential of being another Tanguy,
Unfortunately patience is incredibly fleeting in the modern era of both football and life. Nobody has time for a tap payment transaction to authorize, let alone waiting a few years for a £30 million asset to prove his worth. If Spurs sell him now, they’ll receive about half of what the paid for him.
Even worse, though, is what the club will be giving up on. Bergwijn has the ability to shine under the tutelage of a motivating, inspiring manager, someone who not just allows, but encourages him to play free, loose and on the front foot, the primary reason he was brought to Spurs in the first place.