Tottenham Hotspur 20 year old gem center midfielder Lucas Bergvall submitted a transfer request during the 2026 World Cup with Sweden after seeing how highly interested Roberto De Zerbi was in spending big on two new starters in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.
But while Spurs secured deals for both Premier League starters, Bergvall remains in the squad. He has not backed down from his transfer request and has Nottingham Forest on his heels as an Elliot Anderson replacement, but De Zerbi and Tottenham are trying to convince him to stay and that he will get enough minutes.
Here are three midfielders Tottenham are better off selling first to clear space before giving up on Bergvall.
Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr is first and second on the list, because he's the only center midfielder Roberto De Zerbi has not shown any affinity to. And it makes sense, he lacks the traits on the ball that De Zerbi looks for in a midfielder in terms of executing his possession based playing style. Sarr is a bit overhated and is a decent box to box midfielder, but he definitely fits a mid table club better than Spurs. Tottenham will hope that one of those mid level Premier League clubs comes calling soon about the Senegal international.
Conor Gallagher
De Zerbi really likes Conor Gallagher and was able to get him to be an asset to the team during the relegation battle. With Xavi Simons recovering from a torn ACL and James Maddison still working his way back to full fitness after an ACL tear in 2025, Gallagher is going to get a lot of minutes to start the season as a No. 10. That makes him a less appealing player to sell in the short term, but it is better to lose Gallagher than to lose Lucas Bergvall, who has more long term upside and is probably the better No. 8 right now anyway.
Rodrigo Bentancur
Out of these three midfielders, Rodrigo Bentancur has the most to give to Tottenham Hotspur right now and was a crucial player in Spurs surviving relegation. The problem is that he is redundant. Sandro Tonali and Archie Gray are both significantly better than Bentancur in their roles, and Tottenham have three superior deep lying midfielders and will already have a tough time giving Gray minutes with how much Mateus Fernandes and Tonali are going to dominate starts. Benta is the fourth option, in truth, whereas Bergvall brings something more unique as a box to box player and athlete with much more long term upside.
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