Nottingham Forest are said to be eyeing up Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Lucas Bergvall as they plan for the likely departure of Elliot Anderson this summer.
Manchester City are expected to try again for Anderson after failing with their first two bids for the England star. Although the FA Cup winners haven’t been able to prise him away from the City Ground yet, the signs point to the 23-year-old heading to the Etihad Stadium at some point before the transfer window closes.
With that in mind, Bergvall has emerged as a potential target for the Reds after reportedly informing Spurs of his desire to move on. The Nottingham Post gets the lowdown from FootballLondon’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold on the 20-year-old Sweden international…
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!Get all the Nottingham Forest latest via our Facebook page
Why has Bergvall been overlooked/not given the minutes he wants?
He wasn't overlooked in his first season. Ange Postecoglou played him a lot, even if that was originally due to the injury crisis, but he kept his place after that and was voted player of the season by the fans.
He just didn't click with Thomas Frank, was in and out of the team and the Dane never really seemed to know where to play him - sticking him out wide or as a number 10 when he's clearly a number eight. He was injured through all but 45 minutes of Igor Tudor's brief stint and then Roberto De Zerbi went with experience to ensure Spurs stayed up.
Ultimately Bergvall has played 78 times for Tottenham across two seasons, which is great for someone who only turned 20 just a few months ago. But he knows with the new arrivals being sought he's going to struggle for game time next season without European football on the menu.
How far can he go? What is his potential and has it been impacted by a lack of minutes at Spurs?
He can be a superstar if he keeps developing. He's got a terrific all round game, a great engine and physically he's strong enough for the Premier League.
At his age, he's of course a work in progress and he needs the chance to play somewhere week in, week out as a number eight. Sweden aren't starting him yet at the World Cup but he might now after the mess against the Netherlands. He won't have been impacted by last season because he still played a decent amount of football, just not what he wanted.
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
Could Spurs live to regret the decision to facilitate his transfer, if he leaves?
Absolutely. They're in a similar situation with Luka Vuskovic and there will be a lot of big clubs delighted that another one of Europe's top young talents could fall into their lap.
Bergvall has got five years left on the new contract he signed just over 12 months ago so Spurs can set a hefty price tag and insist on a sell-on clause because the alternative is keeping the young Swede, which is a great option as well.
What are his strengths and weaknesses?
Bergvall's strengths are his touch, technique and his engine, as well as his physique for a young player. His weaknesses are that his age shows sometimes in his passing and his decision-making. He will get caught on the ball occasionally in a high tempo game and this current situation has shown that he, or those around him, maybe don't have the patience required so early in his career.