Tottenham Hotspur center midfielder Lucas Bergvall was one step away from leaving the club this summer transfer window, as he submitted a transfer request while playing for the Sweden national team during the 2026 World Cup, with both Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United interested, among others, in his services. And Forest were so close to stealing away Bergvall that Spurs supporters were scared that not only would they lose center back gem Luka Vuskovic to Brighton bu that Bergvall would move to a more hated Premier League club.
Bergvall's transfer request came just before Tottenham closed the signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, as the 20 year old was afraid he simply would not have enough minutes at the club to develop and fulfill his potential as a world class midfielder.
Instead of leaving, though, Bergvall was convinced to stay, as Roberto De Zebri worked hard to keep Johan Lange's U21 gem at N17, even though he also did say publicly that he would not stop Bergvall from leaving if he really wanted to go.
Lucas Bergvall did not look like a Premier League quality player for Tottenham vs. Brentford
Before Tottenham Hotspur's 2026/27 Premier League season opener against local rivals Brentford, De Zerbi confirmed that Lucas Bergvall would be staying, ending months of speculation around his potential 50-60 million pound move to Nottingham Forest.
Roberto De Zerbi said, via Lilywhite Rose, “Lucas Bergvall, 100 per cent [he is staying]. We spoke a lot in pre season. He’s a top player, a top potential player. I like that he stays but I think now he wants to stay and we have no problem.”
That was a definitive statement regarding Bergvall's future, but perhaps, even after just one game, De Zerbi is regretting not cashing his chips. Because the Italian manager angrily subbed out the Swedish international at half time with Brentford ahead at the Gtech Stadium 2-0 over a listless Tottenham that looked as bad as they did at any point under Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor in the 2025/26 Premier League season.
And Bergvall was the main culprit. He was, by far, the worst player on the pitch, even acknowledging that he was not the only terrible performer. Brentford simply walked by him in the middle of the park as if he were not even there. His positioning, decision making, and defensive work were so bad that he did not even look like a Premier League player. Bergvall has to step up fast, because De Zerbi still has time to sell if he wants to change his mind.
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