Lucas Bergvall was the subject of much controversy for Tottenham Hotspur this summer transfer window, as he submitted a request to leave the club even before the Lilywhites formally signed both Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes as new starters.
But Bergvall surprisingly got a start on Matchday 1 against Brentford. As terrible as he was and as much as he cost his team in that 3-0 loss, Roberto De Zerbi, having convinced the Swedish international to stay and then given him the start against the Bees, did not waver. He convinced the club to sign Bergvall to an additional year extension.
De Zerbi went back to the Bergvall well later on in the season, and he has been strong as of late. And that has even carried over for the Swedish national team. After a poor World Cup performance during the height of the transfer controversy that he himself manufactured as his own distraction, Bergie is bouncing back for Graham Potter, too.
Lucas Bergvall is showing more maturity
He had a great performance in Sweden's 1-0 clean sheet win over Romania in the UEFA Nations League. He had two interceptions and three blocked shots with two fouls drawn and a pass completion percentage just under 90 for the men in yellow.
Now, that is the kind of stat line Lucas Bergvall is capable of but does not usually have, and it is the performance of almost a gritty, veteran defensive midfielder in that sort of a 1-0 national team win. Bergvall put his body on the line and played the game with great intelligence on both ends of the pitch, intercepting passes, blocking passing lanes, and holding up the ball for his team.
Tottenham Hotspur have been craving this level maturity and defensive involvement from Bergvall, who was at that level under Ange Postecoglou back in his benchmark 2024/25 season when Spurs won the Europa League. He fell off badly under Thomas Frank, miscast and lacking in confidence, but now Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi are quietly coaxing that edge back out of Bergie.
It's at a great time, too. Tottenham did sign Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, and Rodrigo Bentancur is doing great things, too. But Spurs are still not at their best as a team and need that ball of energy on their side. Bergvall is gnawing at the bone for more minutes with big challenges like Manchester United and Chelsea on the horizon.
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