Tottenham Hotspur center midfielder Lucas Bergvall was the worst player on the pitch in a 3-0 blowout loss to Brentford over the Premier League weekend, and this disaster class came on the heels of Bergvall throwing a bit of a tantrum by requesting a transfer away from N17 during the World Cup - a World Cup in which he was well below average for the Swedish national team.
Flat out, Bergvall did not want to compete for minutes with the impending signings of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, and in juxtaposition to Fernandes impressing off the bench against the Bees, Bergvall proved exactly why he can't be anywhere near a starting caliber midfielder for Spurs.
Perhaps because it was just Charlton Athletic and perhaps because De Zerbi wanted to challenge the Swede to make an immediate response, the Italian manager started Bergvall in the Second Round of the League Cup.
Lucas Bergvall is not ready for this responsibility
And Bergvall was awful. This time, Tottenham Hotspur were excellent and the team won 5-1 in spite of him, but, yet again, the U21 midfielder was the worst player on the pitch for his team, making everybody else's life more difficult, especially in midfield and defense.
Lucas Bergvall is not playing the midfield position correctly. He does not know where to be, he is sloppy on the ball, he is not creating chances, and he is not even progressing the ball or winning possession, which were at least his two big strengths in the 2024/25 Premier League and Europa League season when he was impressing for the Lilywhites under Ange Postecoglou.
Maybe he does not yet have the aptitude to handle a real elite club's tactical setup like the one Roberto De Zerbi is trying to build at N17, but whatever the case, Bergvall is not helping his team enough, and Spurs have to be deeply disappointed by what they are seeing from their young midfielder.
This display against a weak Charlton side is exactly the opposite of what Tottenham and De Zerbi needed to see from their young midfielder. They were hoping to test Bergvall mentally by having him struggle against Brentford then have him feast on weaker opposition, just as his superior teammates like Mikey Moore and Jan Paul van Hecke did with improved displays in the League Cup. Instead, Bergvall continues to prove he is not ready to be a key player for Spurs in the 2026/27 season.
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