De Zerbi's Tough Love: Tottenham's Squad Must Commit or Leave

Roberto de Zerbi has been at Tottenham long enough to make one thing clear: no passengers.

On the eve of a pre-season friendly against Auckland FC in New Zealand, the Spurs manager drew a hard line over any uncertainty in his squad – with Lucas Bergvall sitting squarely in the spotlight.

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 stated, doubling down on the stance he set when he walked through the door in late March.

He dragged Spurs away from the brink of Premier League relegation last season. Now, with the club reshaping under his watch, he wants something stronger than talent: conviction.

“I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation. Because now in football, if you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference.

“The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team.”

That message lands at a delicate moment for Bergvall.

Bergvall in the balance

Nottingham Forest have already tested Tottenham’s resolve with a £38m bid for the Sweden midfielder. Spurs said no. Forest are expected to come back with £45m.

Bergvall, signed from Djurgarden in 2024, arrived as one of Europe’s brightest young midfield talents. Under De Zerbi, though, his role has been fleeting. The 20-year-old started the Italian’s first match in charge – a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland – and then slipped to the fringes, limited to four substitute appearances as the season ran out.

Now the landscape has shifted again. Spurs have thrown huge money at their midfield: Sandro Tonali for £100m from Newcastle United and Mateus Fernandes for £85m from West Ham. Two heavyweight arrivals. Two direct threats to Bergvall’s minutes.

De Zerbi knows the conversation can’t be dodged.

“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 [sporting director] Johan Lange, with [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham]. It's not my business after the decision to leave.”

The message is ruthless but simple: stay and fight, or step aside.

A squad taking shape – and still not finished

Bergvall’s uncertainty comes against the backdrop of a major rebuild. Tottenham have already reinforced heavily at the back, bringing in Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi to reshape the defensive line.

De Zerbi, though, is not done.

“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: attack. As he put it, the “target is to complete the attacking positions”.

While Bergvall travels with the squad in New Zealand, two key wide players are absent. Mohammed Kudus (thigh) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) remain in London, still working their way back from long-term injuries.

There is optimism over one of them.

“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, we have to see in the next couple of weeks. 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 caution around Kulusevski underlines the stakes. Spurs are building a squad to push upwards, but they cannot afford to break what they are trying to fix.

Xavi Simons’ brutal reality check

If anyone at Tottenham understands the cost of rushing back, it is Xavi Simons.

The attacking midfielder’s season collapsed in April when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Surgery followed. So did the crushing blow of missing the 2026 World Cup with the Netherlands.

“The first four days were the worst days of my life,” he admitted to 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?'

“This is what it is. I'm happy and in a good place now.”

His words cut through the usual pre-season optimism. Behind the transfer fees, the tactical plans and the selection battles, there is a human cost to every step on the pitch.

De Zerbi’s Tottenham are being built on sharp edges: competition in every position, no room for half-hearted commitment, and a manager unafraid to tell his players to move on if their hearts aren’t in it.

For Bergvall and others on the fringes, the choice is staring them in the face. Stay, embrace the fight, and try to carve out a place in a hardened, ambitious squad. Or walk away from a project that is moving quickly, with or without them.