De Zerbi's Vision for Tottenham: Commitment and a 24-Man Squad

Roberto De Zerbi did not blink, but he did not give Lucas Bergvall any guarantees either.

On a chilly night in Sydney, after Tottenham had needed penalties to edge past Sydney FC in a preseason friendly, the head coach spoke with the same clarity and steel that has already started to define his reign. The result was almost secondary. The real intrigue sat with a 20-year-old Swede and a £50 million Italian midfielder described as a “precious diamond.”

De Zerbi’s hard line on Bergvall

Bergvall started his first game of the tour, a significant nod from De Zerbi at a time when Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have already tested Tottenham’s resolve with approaches. His future, though, remains unsettled.

Asked whether he had been given any clarity by the midfielder, De Zerbi went back to a theme he has hammered home since walking through the door: commitment is non‑negotiable.

He made it plain he wants Bergvall to stay. He also made it just as plain he will not beg.

“I would like that he stays with us — I think he's a potential top, top, top player, but in the end I don't want to convince anyone to stay,” he said, underlining the point that Tottenham, in his view, must be a destination, not a debating point.

Tottenham’s status, he insisted, speaks for itself. “I think Tottenham is already, without me, a top club, and we are not to convince anyone to stay.” The message was aimed at more than one player: the badge is bigger than the individual.

What he is offering Bergvall is opportunity, not promises. The path will be there, but it will not be easy.

“I think he can find the space because the competition between the players will be very strong. We are Tottenham and we have to build a strong squad, not just 11 players.”

That last line is the crux of De Zerbi’s vision. He is not building a team, he is building a 24‑man machine.

Building a 24-man squad, not a starting XI

De Zerbi has already felt the sharp edge of a thin squad. Tottenham’s last two or three seasons have been littered with injuries, and he sees a clear trend in modern football: the clubs that last until May are those that can rotate without dropping their level.

“Especially considering a lot of injuries we suffered in the last two, three seasons. Football is going in a clear direction: to compete for the [highest] place on the table, you have to manage 22, 23, 24 players.”

That is the environment Bergvall is weighing up. A deep squad, fierce competition, and a head coach who will not soften his stance.

De Zerbi has invested time in this decision. He has been in Bergvall’s ear for months, not days.

“I'm speaking with him before the end of the last season, during the World Cup two times, now we are speaking better now [face to face] without competition in this moment.”

Last season, the relationship was more remote, more tactical. Now, with the tour and full training, De Zerbi has finally started to work with Bergvall in his own, detailed way.

“Now I started to work [with him] like I know, like my style. In the last season, when we prepared the games, we worked on the head, on the mentality, more than the style of play.”

That shift matters. De Zerbi has had time to study him, to understand his profile, and he sounds convinced about what Bergvall can be.

“I think his position is very clear for me now also because I needed time to understand the characteristic of the players, but I would like that he stays with us. He's a very young, very good player, good guy, and it's not so easy and so fast to find a young player of that level.”

The tone is almost protective. The choice, though, remains with the player. Tottenham have rebuffed interest, De Zerbi has put his cards on the table, and the midfielder now stands at a fork in his career.

Tonali, the “precious diamond”

While Bergvall’s future hangs in the balance, De Zerbi did not hide his excitement over another midfielder already locked into the project.

Sandro Tonali, brought in from Newcastle in a record-breaking deal, has immediately been cast as the centrepiece of De Zerbi’s new Tottenham.

If Bergvall is the raw prospect, Tonali is the jewel.

“But we have to manage him like a precious diamond,” De Zerbi said, choosing his metaphor carefully. This is not a player to be thrown into chaos and left to fend for himself.

“We have to help him to improve in the last decision, as [well] as physical work. He has to work hard to become stronger because this diamond footballer needs to be strong and to give space when there is the right moment.”

The emphasis is on refinement. Decision-making. Physical edge. De Zerbi sees a complete midfielder in the making, but one who still needs polishing to shine at the very top of the Premier League.

That patience is not reserved for Tonali alone. It is part of the coach’s broader philosophy.

“I usually give time to all my young players I work with in my career, and with his potential, he is a special player.”

The pattern is clear: identify talent early, demand total commitment, then give it the time and structure to grow. Bergvall fits that mould. So does Tonali, albeit at a different stage of his journey.

Preseason in Sydney will not decide titles, and a penalty shootout win over Sydney FC will not linger long in the memory. What might endure is what these weeks reveal: who is all-in, who is unsure, and who is ready to become part of the 24-man squad De Zerbi believes can drag Tottenham back towards the top of the table.

Bergvall must now decide whether he wants to be one of them.