If there’s a silver lining to the incredible injury crisis that Tottenham Hotspur endured in the middle part of the season, it’s that Spurs’ cadre of young potential superstars got a lot more minutes than initially projected. Players like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Mikey Moore weren’t expected to play a ton for Spurs’ first team but were thrust into roles that they maybe weren’t ready for because there was no one else available to play.
Here’s the thing though — those young players got better, or at least more experienced, and that will pay dividends down the road. I’d say the main beneficiary of those minutes this season is Bergvall, who has gone from playing in the Swedish league to starting for a Premier League team in nine months. I remember watching his early appearances for Spurs and thinking that he has a lot of talent but looks a little lost at this level. Now, he’s settled in and has become not just comfortable playing in the Premier League, but one of Spurs’ best central midfielders.
And if Swedish outlet fotbol direkt is correct, he’s about to be rewarded with an improved contract for his efforts. FD is reporting that Spurs are now in negotiations with Bergvall and his representatives for an improved contract that will take effect this summer.
Bergvall’s initial deal, according to the article, runs through 2029 and earns him 22m Swedish kronor per year. Do the math and that works out to £33k/wk in wages — certainly nowhere near the top of the wage scale at Spurs, but pretty dang good for a kid who just turned 19 and was playing in a third tier league last season. The article doesn’t specify the terms of any potential new contract (duh, they’re in talks) but one can surmise it would likely add a year or so on to the end of the deal and also give him a very healthy wage rise.
Spurs have gotten a lot of stick lately for its wage to turnover ratio, as dumping Harry Kane’s wages have given the club a lot of leeway on the wage scale. So yes, Spurs can absolutely afford to give players like Bergvall who are deserving of a new deal a substantial raise without hurting their bottom line.
And frankly, Lucas deserves it. He’s already looking like a young player you can build a team around, and the key to making sure he stays at Tottenham is to keep him happy with new deals and wage bumps. I suspect that, assuming this manifests, this is just the start of new contracts for the younger players — Bergvall is likely just the first one we’ve heard about.