De Zerbi's No-Nonsense Approach at Tottenham: A Clear Message
Roberto de Zerbi did not bother with diplomacy. Standing in New Zealand, halfway around the world from north London, the Tottenham manager drew a hard line.
If you’re not happy at Spurs, you can go.
“I said, who doesn't want to stay in Tottenham? Who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave,” he declared before Sunday’s pre-season friendly against Auckland FC.
No grey area. No soft landing. At a club that flirted with relegation last season before De Zerbi dragged them clear, the Italian is making it clear: the new Tottenham will be built on conviction, not compromise.
Bergvall at the crossroads
At the heart of this stance sits Lucas Bergvall, the 20-year-old Sweden midfielder whose future has quickly become a litmus test for De Zerbi’s regime.
Nottingham Forest have already tested Tottenham’s resolve with a £38m offer, turned away without hesitation. Forest are ready to come back with £45m. Spurs have not blinked.
Bergvall arrived from Djurgarden in 2024 as one of Europe’s more intriguing young midfielders. Under De Zerbi, his introduction was sharp but brief. He started the Italian’s first game in charge, a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, then slipped to the fringes – just four substitute appearances after that.
Now, the landscape around him has changed dramatically.
Sandro Tonali has walked through the door in a £100m move from Newcastle United. Mateus Fernandes has followed for £85m from West Ham. Two heavyweight signings in Bergvall’s area of the pitch. Two statements about where Tottenham intend to go.
“There will be a big competition to play because at the end, I think we will be two players for each position,” De Zerbi said. The message is blunt: the shirt has to be earned.
He has not yet sat down with Bergvall, but that conversation is coming. “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.”
If Bergvall wants to fight, De Zerbi will welcome it. “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 choice, in other words, belongs to the player. Stay and embrace the battle. Or step away from a project that is accelerating quickly.
A squad built on competition
Tottenham’s rebuild under De Zerbi has been aggressive and deliberate. The midfield has been upgraded with Tonali and Fernandes. The defence has been reshaped too.
Jan Paul van Hecke has arrived to bolster the back line. Andy Robertson brings Premier League know-how and a relentless edge on the left. Marcos Senesi adds another left-footed centre-back with bite and composure.
De Zerbi 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 next priority is clear: attackers. “The target is to complete the attacking positions,” he admitted. After reinforcing the spine, he wants firepower to match.
This is not a quiet evolution. It is a squad being turned over at speed, with a manager unafraid to tell anyone unsettled to step aside.
Motivation as a weapon
For De Zerbi, this is not just about talent. It is about mentality.
“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.”
In his view, that is the dividing line. Those who see Spurs as a platform, a badge to wear with pride, will stay. Those who hesitate will be moved on.
The tone is uncompromising. The logic is simple. A team that nearly fell into the Championship cannot afford passengers.
Kudus close, Kulusevski cautious
While Bergvall weighs his future, others are simply fighting to get back on the pitch.
Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski have stayed behind in London as they work back from long-term injuries, missing the New Zealand tour. Both remain central to De Zerbi’s plans, but their timelines differ.
“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 case is more delicate. A full season written off by injury demands patience.
“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 urgency of the rebuild is obvious, but De Zerbi is not willing to gamble with a player who could still define Tottenham’s attacking identity.
Xavi Simons and the weight of pain
If anyone at the club understands the cost of injury, it is Xavi Simons.
The attacking midfielder tore his anterior cruciate ligament in April. Surgery followed. So did the cruel blow of missing the 2026 World Cup with the Netherlands. The physical damage was severe. The emotional toll, even heavier.
“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?'”
Those words strip away the usual clichés around “setbacks” and “road to recovery”. This was trauma, pure and simple.
Now, he says, “I'm happy and in a good place now.” For Tottenham, a fully fit Simons returning to a squad shaped by De Zerbi’s hard lines could be one of the most significant boosts of the season.
Because that is where this all leads. A manager demanding total commitment. A squad being rebuilt with high-end talent. Young players like Bergvall forced into big decisions. Senior figures like Kudus, Kulusevski and Simons edging back towards the light.
De Zerbi has made his position clear. Tottenham will move forward with those who are proud to wear the shirt. The only question left is who chooses to stay on board.
