Roberto de Zerbi has told any Tottenham player who is not 'proud and happy' to be at the club to leave this summer, a blunt message delivered amid uncertainty over the future of midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
"Who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave." — Roberto de Zerbi
The Italian, who took charge at the end of March and helped steer Spurs away from relegation, made his comments before a pre-season friendly in New Zealand. Tottenham rejected a first bid of £38m from Nottingham Forest for Sweden international Bergvall, with Forest expected to return at £45m. 'I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here,' De Zerbi said, framing motivation as the difference between success and failure.
Spurs have already signed midfielders Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £100m and Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m, and added defenders Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi. De Zerbi said the transfer window was 'not finished yet' and that the target was to 'complete the attacking positions', signalling more arrivals.
Bergvall, who joined from Djurgarden in 2024, started the Italian's first game in charge but saw limited minutes afterwards. De Zerbi said he had not yet spoken to the 20-year-old and would 'make the best decision for the club' in the coming days. Bergvall is travelling with the squad in New Zealand, though wingers Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski stayed home to recover from long-term injuries.
The remarks underline a manager intent on imposing his standards early. By inviting unhappy players to move on, De Zerbi is tightening a squad that must rebound from a relegation fight and re-establish European credentials — and he has the backing of a board prepared to spend heavily to give him the tools to do it.
Beyond the result, the contest will be assessed for what it reveals about form, fitness, and the margins that separate the very best when the stakes are highest.
The wider calendar now comes into focus, with coaches and analysts already projecting how this performance shapes the narrative heading into the next fixture.
In the dressing room, the mood swings between relief and resolve, the kind that follows a result that could have gone either way until the final moments.
Rivals will have noted the vulnerabilities exposed under pressure, filing them away for the rematches that the season's structure all but guarantees.
For the supporters, the performance offered a glimpse of an identity still forming, uneven yet unmistakably pointed in a direction worth following.
