A new era at Tottenham Hotspur will begin this week, and they cannot afford for it to go wrong. Over the weekend, the club confirmed that Igor Tudor will be the club's interim manager for the remainder of the season. The former Marseille, Lazio and Juventus boss arrives in North London having been sacked by la Vecchia Signora in October, after failing to win any of his last eight matches in charge.
Ivan Javorčić, Riccardo Ragnacci and Tomislav Rogić are all joining Tudor's coaching staff, meaning John Heitinga is among those departing, just 32 days after he arrived as Thomas Frank's assistant.
Tudor's first match in charge will be Sunday's North London derby against Premier League leaders Arsenal. He takes over a side very much in a relegation battle, considering that the Lilywhites are 16th, a mere five points above the drop zone. They also have a Champions League round of 16 tie to prepare for, facing Atlético Madrid, Galatasaray, Club Brugge or potentially Tudor's old team Juventus.
Given their team's miserable campaign, Spurs supporters are simply seeking any semblance of optimism. Thus, they'll be concerned about growing interest in one of their brightest young talents.
Lucas Bergvall attracting interest
As reported by David Ornstein of the Athletic on Valentine's Day, Tottenham "could face a battle to keep" star midfielder Lucas Bergvall when the summer transfer window rolls around. Ornstein notes that Spurs were "forced to rebuff" enquiries from both Chelsea and Aston Villa during the winter window, describing the pair as "long-term admirers" of the Swede.
Bergvall arrived in North London from Djurgården in the summer of 2024 for a fee of £8.5 million, reportedly pipping Barcelona to his signature. So far, the 20 year old has scored two goals for Spurs, netting against Liverpool during last year's EFL Cup semi-finals as well as at the London Stadium against West Ham in September.
Nevertheless, he is very highly-rated both by Spurs fans as well as in general, ranked among the best players worldwide born in 2006 by the Guardian. Right now however, Bergvall finds himself inside Tottenham's very crowded treatment room. He suffered an ankle sprain during January's Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund, thereby forecast to be sidelined for up to three months.
Looking longer term, as Tottenham seek to rebuild under a permanent head coach, perhaps even Mauricio Pochettino, in the summer, Bergvall is one of the players they'd most like to build around.
However, the harsh reality is that back-to-back low finishes in the Premier League means key assets may start pushing for a move elsewhere. Spurs will not be in European competition next season and, who knows, they could even be an EFL Championship club, hence why sharks are circling already for their most-prized assets.