Roberto de Zerbi's Clear Message to Tottenham Players

Roberto de Zerbi has not been at Tottenham long, but the message is already blunt and unmistakable: if you don’t want to be here, don’t bother unpacking.

Speaking on the eve of Spurs’ pre-season friendly against Auckland FC in New Zealand, the Italian drew a hard line over the future of Lucas Bergvall and any other unsettled players in a squad being rapidly reshaped in his image.

“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. No caveats. No soft landing.

Bergvall at a crossroads

The timing of the statement was no coincidence. Bergvall’s situation hangs over Tottenham’s tour like a question mark.

Nottingham Forest have already tested Spurs’ resolve with a £38m offer for the Sweden midfielder. That bid was rejected, but Forest are preparing to return with an improved £45m proposal as they try to prise away one of Europe’s most highly regarded young talents.

Bergvall arrived from Djurgarden in 2024 with the usual fanfare that follows a teenage prodigy. Under De Zerbi, though, his introduction to English football has been more cautious than explosive. He started the Italian’s first game in charge – a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland – then slipped to the fringes, restricted to four substitute appearances as Spurs clawed their way to safety and escaped Premier League relegation.

Now the landscape around him has changed again. And brutally quickly.

A new midfield hierarchy

Spurs have not just strengthened in midfield. They have detonated it and rebuilt it.

Sandro Tonali has arrived from Newcastle United in a £100m deal, a statement signing and an instant reference point in the centre of the pitch. Alongside him, Mateus Fernandes has joined from West Ham for £85m, another heavyweight addition in an area of the pitch that suddenly looks crowded and unforgiving.

“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 implication is clear: reputation, price tag, age – none of it will guarantee minutes.

Bergvall is in New Zealand with the squad, but he now faces a stark choice. Fight his way into a midfield packed with established internationals, or seek a clearer path elsewhere.

“I have not spoken with Lucas yet,” De Zerbi admitted. “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 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.”

For a 20-year-old still learning the rhythm of elite football, it is a defining moment. Stay and scrap, or go and play.

Squad revolution gathers pace

Bergvall is not the only one feeling the squeeze. Tottenham’s rebuild under De Zerbi is gathering speed and stretching across the pitch.

At the back, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have all been added, giving Spurs fresh options and a distinctly different look in defence. Experience, aggression, left-footed balance – the profile has shifted.

And 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.

“Now the target is to complete the attacking positions.”

The message to the dressing room is unmistakable: no one should feel comfortable. Every role is up for grabs, every place under threat. The only non-negotiable is motivation.

“I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation,” De Zerbi said. “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.”

Kudus close, Kulusevski waits

While the transfer market churns, Tottenham’s medical room is slowly emptying.

Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski have not travelled to New Zealand as they continue their recovery from long-term injuries, but there is a sense of cautious optimism around both.

“Kudus is very close. I think when we come back to London he will be available to start working with us,” De Zerbi revealed. “It's a great thing for us. Kudus is another important player.”

Kulusevski’s case is more delicate. After an entire season without a single appearance, Spurs are wary of rushing him back.

“Kulusevski, we have to see in the next couple of weeks,” De Zerbi said. “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 plan is clear: get them fit, keep them fit, and feed them into an attack that De Zerbi still wants to reinforce.

Xavi Simons’ brutal reality check

If anyone at Tottenham needed a reminder of how quickly a season can be ripped away, Xavi Simons has provided it in stark, painful detail.

The Dutch attacking midfielder, speaking to the club’s website, opened up about the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in April – an injury that cost him his place at the 2026 World Cup and left him facing the kind of mental and physical battle no player ever wants.

“The first four days were the worst days of my life,” he said.

What followed was raw and unfiltered. “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?'”

He is in a better place now, he says. “This is what it is. I'm happy and in a good place now.”

For De Zerbi, who has already spoken so forcefully about pride, motivation and the privilege of walking out at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Simons’ story is a sharp reminder of what is at stake for every player on his books.

Some are wrestling with transfers, some with competition for places, some with the slow grind of rehabilitation. The manager’s stance, though, does not waver.

Be proud. Be happy. Be all in.

Anyone who can’t meet that standard, in this new Tottenham, knows exactly where the door is.