Young Tottenham Hotspur center midfielder Lucas Bergvall drew a surprising start from Roberto De Zerbi on Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 Premier League season, but instead of proving to De Zerbi that he deserves to play more minutes, which was the point of contention that nearly led to his exit from the club this summer, all he did was prove to De Zerbi that he is not ready for the big time. And he was not all that much better against a weaker Charlton Athletic a few days later in the League Cup.
So Bergvall had to get bounced out of the starting lineup after those displays, with some Tottenham fans even going so far as to wonder if Spurs should have sold Bergvall after all - or at least pondered a loan move for the Swedish international.
But De Zerbi did not stop backing Bergvall despite the player's own doubts and flirtation with enemies Nottingham Forest this offseason. He even got the club to sign Bergvall to another contract extension. And after a cooling period away from the starting lineup to fix up his fundamentals, Bergvall got the start against Liverpool and was legitimately the best player on the pitch - maybe even for either team.
Lucas Bergvall improved markedly from the Brentford debacle
Lucas Bergvall bossed the midfield, and it was wonderful to see his improvement from Matchday 1, especially in comparison to another player who performed very poorly against Brentford, Conor Gallagher. Because whereas Gallagher was dreadful again in the loss to Liverpool as the attacking midfielder, Bergvall was briliant behind him in the double pivot, winning tackles, completed 96 percent of his passes, and creating, by far, more chances than anyone else despite playing deeper.
Tottenham Hotspur are honestly itching for their young players to take a big step forward in 2026/27 under Roberto De Zerbi, who showed with his sanctioning of the extension for the Swedish standout that he very much wants the young man to succeed. And Bergvall finally put real pressure on Conor Gallagher for minutes after many Spurs fans were already upset with the Gallagher signing months ago in the winter 2026 transfer window because they worried about the player stealing minutes away from Bergvall.
Well, Bergvall is showing that those minutes are his, and even in a disappointing loss to Liverpool, Bergvall was able to show growth, personality, and quality. There is more upside in playing Bergvall than Gallagher, and he is showing now that he can be called the better player.
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