Young Tottenham Hotspur center midfielder Lucas Bergvall submitted a transfer request during the 2026 World Cup after seeing that the club were about to bring in Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes to be the new starting defensive midfield duo, and while Roberto De Zerbi was able to convince Bergvall to stay despite rampant interest around the Premier League, especially from Nottingham Forest, there are already some Spurs fans who wish the club made a different decision.
Bergvall was atrocious against Brentford in the 2026/27 Premier League season opener, and he was so bad that he made everyone around him worse. There was a clear improvement in the entire team when he left the pitch at the half, with Spurs at least somewhat saving face in the middle of the park once he left.
The 20 year old was dog walked by the Brentford midfield, second best in every duel and completely headless with his positioning. Bergvall looked exactly like a player who is not ready to start matches in the Premier League, and while many blamed Thomas Frank for his struggles last season, Bergvall proved this weekend to Roberto De Zerbi that the coach was not the problem; he has a long way to go, and De Zerbi isn't going to make the same mistake of starting him over Mateus Fernandes again.
Lucas Bergvall is making life harder for everyone else
It has been months, if not a full year, since Lucas Bergvall was last an asset to Tottenham Hotspur, and the word "limited" is being used quite a bit in reference to the U21 talent. Nobody doubts Bergvall's athletic tools and upside, but, right now, he is a limited player who offers very little to the team, and the "limited" label is one that is starting to stick to him.
Bergvall is limited technically. He is limited creatively. He is limited as a passer. He is limited defensively. Outside of running around, he is not doing much of anything positive for Tottenham, and he is thus, here's the word again, limited in literally the strictest definition of the word. Bergvall looks like a box to box midfielder who can only offer running without any sense or purpose, and that is totally unacceptable at this level in the Premier League.
As Spurs saw against Brentford, his teammates cannot cover for him if he is leaving cavernous spaces and hot potatoing the ball, turning it over every time he gets it. It is going to take time and consistently better performances all around for Bergvall to prove himself, because he is already earning the last label he wants as a young midfielder.
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