Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has been in dogged pursuit of West Ham United star Mateus Fernandes and Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali, as he wants both players to transform the face of the midfield and its tactical structure so that Spurs can finally have real control over games at the highest level in the Premier League.
But one current standout at Tottenham is seeing the writing on the wall on his own playing time, as Lucas Bergvall submitted a transfer request to the club behind the scenes while still playing for Sweden at the World Cup. He did not like how he was used last season, and even though De Zerbi is a new man who has not gotten a chance to sink his teeth into utilizing Bergvall yet, the 20 year old does not want to wait around.
Tottenham still have not secured either Tonali or Fernandes, and the pursuit of the latter is starting to heat up again with Manchester United ramping up interest in the 21 year old Portuguese international. But former Manchester United and Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt, who is a six time Premier League champion and former Team of the Season player, thinks Fernandes should choose Tottenham over Man United. Now that is huge and a bit unexpected, but at the same time, in another unexpected prediction, Butt thinks Bergvall should head back the other way to Old Trafford.
Lucas Bergvall and Mateus Fernandes have similar motivations
The former England international said of the Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Bergvall situations, via Chris Cowlin, "[Mateus] Fernandes is a fantastic player. I loved him at West Ham when I watched him, but when it comes to Man United, he's not going to be playing instead of Bruno Fernandes. I'm pretty sure the people around him will also be telling him that. He will want to kick on and become one of the best in the Premier League - his next move might then be to Real Madrid or Barcelona or wherever. If he goes to Tottenham, he's going to be the main man, one of the best players. Plus he’ll be on a fortune and living in London. I like Lucas Bergvall a lot. It looks like Elliot Anderson is going to Man City but United are still going for someone who can get about the pitch and be box to box. He’s pretty proven in the league and Scandinavian players always adapt very well. He's powerful. He can run. I think he'd be a good player for Man United. It all depends on the price. But put that to one side and he's a very good player. Another player that can get around the pitch and do what a Man United player needs to do.”
It is quite interesting that for Fernandes, Tottenham Hotspur is more attractive than Manchester United because he will get more playing time for Spurs, whereas Bergvall wants to leave Tottenham because of a lack of playing time. Though in the case of Bergvall, the issue may be more of bad blood leaving a taste in his mouth from the Thomas Frank era and also an unsaid desire to want a different club, and maybe the pull of Man United will be enticing to him.
Regardless, Tottenham fans would love if Nicky Butt is right and Fernandes chooses Spurs over the Red Devils to get more minutes in the midfield, and while it would be preferable to sell Bergvall outside the Premier League, Spurs care more about getting their own house in a row with Fernandes than what would become of Bergvall anyway.
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