Tottenham make major transfer shift as they go all in on Roberto De Zerbi | OneFootball

The manager has near-unprecedented say on transfers at Spurs, and that’s pushing Luka Vuskovic and Lucas Bergvall to the exit door

Tottenham’s squad overhaul has been taking place at such a pace over the last month, it is easy to get wrapped up into wondering what’s in store for Spurs under Roberto De Zerbi.

Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke are through the door, and Spurs are ready to smash their transfer record by signing Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali. There have also been links with West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and Manchester City’s Savinho.

Such an aggressive start to the transfer market, the result of successive 17th-place finishes, was always going to lead to collateral damage, though, and Spurs are now reckoning with the prospect of losing two of their brightest young talents.

Teenage defender Luka Vuskovic is seen as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe - if not the most exciting young defender - after a stellar season on loan at Hamburg.

Luka Vuskovic playing against England

AFP via Getty Images

But before even returning to Spurs, for whom he is yet to play a competitive game, he wants to leave. Brighton are leading the chase and have lodged a £45million bid.

As Standard Sport reported, Vuskovic is prepared to hand in a transfer request to force through a move away after being told by De Zerbi that he will not be given regular minutes next season.

Lucas Bergvall has also expressed his desire to leave after struggling for game time under De Zerbi, and Standard Sport understands that Spurs are ready to listen to offers in the region of £45m for the Swedish midfielder.

It feels like the end of an era for Spurs, who brought Vuskovic and Bergvall to the club under a youth-centric transfer policy driven by former technical director, now sporting director, Johan Lange. His future also appears to be increasingly in doubt.

There has been a clear shift from De Zerbi, who has taken a hands-on approach to transfers in his first summer at the helm, towards adding experience and leadership to his squad.

De Zerbi has not hidden his intentions. He said at the end of last season that there were only 11 or 12 current players he wanted to keep at the club.

But such a drastic change in tact has potentially come with consequences which may not reveal themselves until years down the line.

On the surface, Spurs look set to get good money for two players who have so far promised more than they have delivered in their fledgling careers.

But short-term gain at the expense of undermining your long-term pathway for young players is a risk, and one made more apparent by the fact that the combustible De Zerbi does not have a history of sticking around at one club for long.

Lucas Bergvall

Getty

De Zerbi holds the keys, having negotiated a five-year deal to come in at short notice to keep Spurs in the Premier League last season. He has, therefore, been calling the shots so far this summer, with Spurs desperate to avoid the mistakes of the last two seasons.

Spurs’ faith is not unfounded. De Zerbi has earned their trust by cajoling a squad and a fanbase that appeared resigned to relegation when he came in with seven games to go.

They must, though, be careful not to let De Zerbi wield unchecked control over how the club operates.

There will undoubtedly be a sense of insecurity among some of the club’s chief decision-makers after two unprecedentedly poor seasons, but they, too, must help plot the path forward for Spurs.

There is a balance to be struck between what came before and what De Zerbi wants to do with this squad. Deals like the ones Spurs secured for Bergvall and Vuskovic had their merits, and abandoning the club’s youth-led policy, for all its flaws, appears a drastic and somewhat reactive solution.

Spurs have made sensible, Premier League-proven additions so far this summer, which should give them greater stability and know-how next season.

Given how close they came to dropping into the Championship last term, they cannot be blamed for looking at players who can improve the base level of the squad immediately.

But ultimately, that is not how sustainable, title-challenging clubs operate.

Spurs want to build a squad in De Zerbi’s image, but they also have to look after themselves. This overhaul has to be on their terms as well as his, or it could come to bite them later down the line.