Tottenham's Transfer Strategy: Bergvall Stays, Sarr in Limbo

Roberto De Zerbi has nailed one certainty to the Tottenham dressing-room wall – and left another hanging.

“Lucas Bergvall, 100 per cent [he is staying],” the Italian declared. On Pape Matar Sarr, though? No such promise.

Bergvall locked in, Sarr in limbo

Bergvall told Spurs earlier in the summer, before heading to the World Cup, that he wanted a new challenge and a chance to grow as a number eight. Newcastle and Nottingham Forest tested Tottenham’s resolve with bids. Both were knocked back.

De Zerbi then backed the 20-year-old with serious minutes in pre-season. That, he believes, has shifted the player’s mindset.

“We spoke a lot in pre-season. He’s a top player, a top potential player. I like that he stays but I think now he wants to stay and we have no problem,” De Zerbi said.

Sarr’s situation is different. The 23-year-old returned late from Senegal, only rejoining in the first week of August, and now finds himself staring at a midfield rebuilt at huge cost.

Tottenham have dropped around £185million on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. That changes the landscape.

“He’s a good player. I don’t know if he stays or not, we have to analyse the situation, but he is another very very important player,” De Zerbi admitted.

A £377m statement and owners who “kept their word”

The rebuild has been aggressive. With Manchester City forwards Savinho and Omar Marmoush still expected to arrive, Spurs’ spending this summer could hit £377million.

The Lewis family had promised “actions not words” after last season’s brush with relegation. De Zerbi says they have delivered.

“I am very happy… in my experience, they kept their word, they kept what they said before I came in March,” the 47-year-old said. “But what we are doing is not for the coach. It’s for the club, for the fans, for the history of the club, for the pride of the club, and for the level of the club.

“I think this moment is crucial for this club, because after two seasons like we had, we have to change the mood, completely change it, give it a boost.”

He wants this window to be a reset, not an annual habit.

“When we have finished in this transfer market, for a long time we don't need many things and we can work all together in the right condition, in the right direction, to build step by step something special, or to go to compete for the top of the table.

“Not maybe now, or maybe yes, I don't know, but we have the squad to play in every stadium in the right way. Face to face, we know we have to improve. We have to become a team, but I think we also have all the qualities to do that.”

Big money, big noise – and extra fuel

The scale of Tottenham’s outlay has drawn predictable complaints from rival fans and pundits, even with the club leaning on stadium revenues and potentially banking around £213million in sales and loans.

De Zerbi shrugs it off. He plans to use it.

“I don’t know, you have to explain to me. For me, no pressure and it’s not a problem. I don’t know why the people don’t love if Tottenham becomes better. It’s one motivation more for us,” he said.

“Last season, all other clubs wanted to kill us. This is another part of football.”

He keeps that sense of siege close.

“Every week we have to remember last season. The last friendly game against Hoffenheim, the time before was against Everton. You can imagine the difference between that game and the game against Everton when we stayed up with all that pressure.”

On paper, close to his vision – but “the pitch speaks”

So how close is this squad to the version De Zerbi carries in his head?

“On paper it’s very close. On the pitch we have to see and we have to work. I am experienced enough not to say too much,” he said. “I’m very happy with the squad. We have to complete the squad but at the moment very happy. The answer I receive from the pitch has to be like my dreams and my thoughts with the board.

“Maybe we have to see on the pitch. To be honest, everyone, we are very excited but in the end the pitch speaks, as we say in Italian.

“If we start now with big words, I love pressure, it’s not a problem of pressure, but if we are to be honest and correct, we have to wait for the answer from the pitch.

“Football is a connection. Football is like magic. You can find sometimes the connection between players when every player thinks like the coach or we come together with an idea of football and the players who don’t start in the team are the biggest fans of the players who are playing. We have to create something on the pitch and off the pitch to compete like we want.”

Tonali, the £100m cornerstone

At the heart of that vision is Tonali, now a £100million club-record signing from Newcastle and the symbol of Tottenham’s new ambition.

De Zerbi knew the Italy international well from afar. Working with him has sharpened that admiration.

“Sandro Tonali is better than I thought before working with him, as a player and as a guy. I know his family, his agents, and I know they all are good people,” he said.

“I’m very happy to work with him and I think he’s the right player in the right place. Especially because we want to put him inside of the project. He has the right qualities, the right personality, the right values, to stay in this place.”

No promises, just competition

With 11 days still to run in the window, De Zerbi is not softening the edges for anyone in his squad. The message is blunt: accept the level, or move on.

“Nothing [to do]. I love speaking clearly. Today is August 21st, I think every one of those players, they already know the squad. If one of them doesn’t want to accept the competition inside the pitch, inside the dressing room, they can leave,” he said.

“I try to be honest and to decide the better decision I can on the pitch to find the best first XI, but the players have to accept why because if we want to become better, if we want to compete for the top of the table, 11 players are not enough, 15 players are not enough.

“If you analyse the teams – Liverpool two years ago, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Milan – the squad there has a big competition inside the dressing room.”

Pathways and pressure for the kids

All that spending naturally raises the question: where does it leave the academy talent?

Mikey Moore, 19, is expected to feature against Brentford in Saturday’s Premier League opener, even as a loan move to Bundesliga side Koln is discussed.

“Now is not the right moment to speak about the last 10 days of transfer market. I think it’s not finished yet I said,” De Zerbi replied. “I’m very happy with Mikey Moore, he’s working well, he’s a good player, I don’t know if he goes or not on loan.

“I think he has a big potential for the club and we try to find the best solution for every player we have, also for Luca Williams-Barnett or Malachi [Hardy], two potential big players. Proud that they come from our academy. We have to manage them the best way we can.”

Reconnecting with the “soul” of Spurs

De Zerbi is not just rebuilding a squad; he is trying to reconnect it with what he calls the “soul” of Tottenham.

He arranged for a group of club legends – including Glenn Hoddle, Gary Mabbutt and Steve Perryman – to address his current players and spell out what the badge really carries.

“The players and especially the foreign players, they have to understand the level of this club. Even if we finish two seasons in a row in 17th position, nothing changes and the level of the club can’t change because in the last two seasons it was not great,” he said.

“The legends, I think they can explain better than me or better than you what Tottenham has been [before] in the Premier League and in Europe.”

One name was missing from that gathering, and De Zerbi felt it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see Chris Waddle,” he admitted. “Chris Waddle was one of my favourite players when I was a kid and he played in Marseille. In Marseille I said the same like this and Waddle would have been good for Kudus, for Kulusevski, for Xavi Simons, for Mathys [Tel] because he was a great player.”

The money has arrived, the legends have spoken, the squad is being sharpened. The guarantees, for now, are few. Bergvall stays. Sarr might go. The rest will be decided where De Zerbi insists everything must be settled – on the pitch, with the whole league watching to see whether this bold, expensive gamble turns Tottenham into contenders or leaves them exposed under the weight of their own ambition.