De Zerbi wants Bergvall to stay but offers no starting guarantees

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi said on Wednesday that he wants Lucas Bergvall to remain at the ​club but cannot guarantee the Sweden midfielder a place ‌in his starting lineup amid reports linking the 20-year-old with a move away.

British media have linked Bergvall with Premier League clubs ​including Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, but De Zerbi ​said that the player had not told him he ⁠wanted to leave.

"I'm always being very clear with him ​and with you. I would like that he stays with ​us," De Zerbi told reporters after Bergvall started in Spurs' 4-2 penalty shootout win over Sydney FC in a pre-season friendly.

"I think he's ​potentially a top, top, player. But then I don't ​want to convince anyone to stay. Tottenham is already, without me, ‌a ⁠top club and we are not to convince anyone to stay.

"I can't give, for any player in the world, a place in the first XI guaranteed."

Bergvall, who joined Spurs ​in 2024, made ​33 appearances ⁠in all competitions last season and scored once.

De Zerbi said that the midfielder still had areas ​of his game to develop as he ​competes for ⁠a demanding spot.

"He wants space and wants to play in a double pivot," De Zerbi added.

"To play as a ⁠central midfielder, ​sometimes it is to attack, ​sometimes to keep the holder, to move the ball faster. He has to ​improve."