Roberto De Zerbi's Clear Message at Tottenham: No Passengers
Roberto de Zerbi has been at Tottenham long enough to make one thing crystal clear: no passengers.
On the eve of a pre-season friendly against Auckland FC in New Zealand, the Spurs head coach drew a sharp line in the sand over the futures of any unsettled players – with the spotlight fixed firmly on Lucas Bergvall.
De Zerbi’s message: stay proud or move on
“I said, who doesn't want to stay in Tottenham? Who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave,” De Zerbi declared before Sunday’s game, his stance as blunt as it is simple.
This is not empty rhetoric. The Italian walked into a relegation fight at the end of March and dragged Spurs away from the trapdoor. He has seen enough of the club’s soft underbelly. He wants a different dressing room now: one built on conviction, not convenience.
“I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation,” he said. For De Zerbi, in an era of packed schedules and fine tactical margins, motivation isn’t a bonus. It is the separator. “The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team.”
Those words land at a delicate moment for Bergvall.
Bergvall at a crossroads
Nottingham Forest have already tested Tottenham’s resolve with a £38m offer for the Sweden midfielder. That bid was rejected, but Forest are preparing to come back with £45m. The number is rising. So is the tension.
Bergvall only arrived from Djurgarden in 2024, a highly rated 20-year-old with the kind of technical profile Spurs fans love to get excited about. His early days under De Zerbi, though, were stop-start. He started the Italian’s first match in charge, a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, then faded to the fringes, making just four further appearances from the bench.
Since then, the midfield landscape has shifted dramatically. Spurs have thrown huge money at the heart of the pitch, bringing in Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United for £100m and Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m. Two heavyweight arrivals. Two more obstacles in Bergvall’s path.
De Zerbi insists the conversation with the youngster is still to come.
“I have not spoken with Lucas yet,” he said. “I will in the next days and we will make the best decision for the club, for Lucas, for me, for every one of us, without problems. Lucas is a big, big talent.
“There will be a big competition to play because at the end, I think we will be two players for each position.
“If he wants to stay, I will be happy. Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with Johan Lange, with Vinai Venkatesham. It's not my business after the decision to leave.”
The message is ruthless but coherent: Tottenham will not stand in the way of a player who does not see his future in north London. They also will not hand out minutes on sentiment.
A squad being rebuilt in De Zerbi’s image
Bergvall’s dilemma is framed by a broader rebuild. Spurs have not just spent heavily in midfield; they have quietly retooled the back line as well.
Defenders Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have all arrived, a trio that hints at a very specific vision: aggressive, front-foot defenders who can play, press and live high up the pitch. De Zerbi is assembling a squad with depth and duplication, not a first XI and a supporting cast.
“First of all, I think it's not finished yet, our transfer market window,” he said. “We have to finish, we have to bring another couple of, maybe more, maybe not less, but a couple of players.”
The priority now is clear. “The target is to complete the attacking positions,” he added. The spine is being reinforced; the edges still need sharpening.
For now, Bergvall is in New Zealand with the group. He trains, he waits, he weighs up a future that could lead either to a fight for his place in a stacked midfield or a fresh start elsewhere. The clock on that decision is ticking.
Kudus and Kulusevski: hope and caution
Not everyone made the long-haul trip. Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski stayed behind, both still working back from serious, long-term injuries that blunted Spurs’ attacking edge last season.
There is optimism around Kudus. “Kudus is very close. I think when we come back to London he will be available to start working with us,” De Zerbi said. “It's a great thing for us. Kudus is another important player.”
Kulusevski’s situation is more delicate. A knee problem wiped out his entire last campaign, and Spurs are wary of rushing a player who, at his best, can transform their right flank.
“Kulusevski, we have to see in the next couple of weeks,” De Zerbi explained. “He's another important player. After one season, one complete season, without a game, we have to analyse better and better, don't take risks, first of all for him and then for us.”
The contrast is stark: Kudus on the brink of rejoining full training, Kulusevski still in the phase where every step forward is measured twice. Both, if they return at anything close to their peak, reshape the attack De Zerbi is so keen to complete.
Xavi Simons and the brutality of recovery
If anyone at Tottenham understands the dark side of injury, it is Xavi Simons.
The attacking midfielder tore his anterior cruciate ligament in April, a brutal blow that cost him not just the run-in with Spurs but also the 2026 World Cup with the Netherlands. The physical damage was obvious. The emotional toll, he admits, was worse.
“The first four days were the worst days of my life,” he told the club’s website. “I couldn't sleep, I didn't eat for one week. I was in a lot of pain. I was vomiting and felt dizzy, it was everything. That pain, I don't wish no-one to go through that pain.
“I don't know what it's like for other players but, for me, it was like my whole body was saying like 'what happened?'”
These are not the words of a player brushing off a setback. They are a glimpse into the brutality of the rehab road, the isolation that comes when the games go on without you.
“This is what it is. I'm happy and in a good place now,” he added. The scar remains, but the direction is upwards.
A new standard at Spurs
From De Zerbi’s hard line on commitment to the churn of high-profile signings and the slow, painful returns of key attackers, Tottenham feel like a club at a pivot point.
The manager wants two players for every position and zero doubts in any mind. The board is backing that vision with money. Talents like Bergvall must now decide whether to embrace the fight or step away from it.
In a squad being rebuilt around hunger and resilience, the question for every player is the same: are you proud to wear this shirt, or are you ready to give it to someone who is?
