Tottenham Hotspur have made a hugely successful start to the season, and so far, Lucas Bergvall has proven to be the heartbeat of Thomas Frank’s team.
Bergvall, who’s been compared to Jude Bellingham, is one of the best young midfielders in Europe now, justifying Spurs’ decision to sign him back in January 2024.
Tottenham paid just £8.5m to sign Bergvall, and his value since then has skyrocketed following his performances for the North London club over the last 12 months.
Now, to assess the potential success of the signing of the young Swede, TBR Football has spoken to the site’s financial expert, Adam Williams, about what it could mean for the future of the Lilywhites’ recruitment.
Tottenham could look to Scandinavia for possible multi-club structure
The success of bringing Lucas Bergvall from the Swedish club, Djurgården, could see Tottenham Hotspur look to Scandinavia for a possible multi-club set-up.
Asked about Bergvall’s current potential market value, Williams told TBR Football: “Lucas Bergvall is a quality player and is at the stage in his career when, if you score a header like the one he did against West Ham, it’s reflected in your value pretty much instantaneously.
“Value is subjective, but there is always a big market for players with his profile – young, technically gifted, international and Premier League experience.”
TBR Football’s financial expert explains how ENIC actually once pioneered the multi-club set-up, having previously held shares in clubs like AEK Athens and Rangers.
“As part of the deal to sign him from Djurgardens, there was some discussion of a strategic partnership between the two clubs. I don’t know if anything came of that, but it’s the type of informal arrangement that a lot of English clubs look at,” added Williams.
“The infrastructure in Sweden, as well as the strong development culture and stable, well-run leagues, make it a bit of a hot spot for youth. Scandinavia, more broadly, has churned out several truly world-class players recently.
“Spurs haven’t gone down the multi-club route, which is interesting because once upon a time, ENIC were pioneers in this department.
“Eventually, they were forced to sell their stakes in the likes of AEK Athens and Rangers because UEFA were cracking down on multi-club ownership, but the tide has turned in that department. There are ways of getting around it now, as long as you plan far enough in advance.”
“If Spurs were ever to explore this again – and I think that’s perhaps more likely if and when they secure fresh investment, then they’ll look at success stories like Bergvall and consider Scandinavia as a result. But I’m digressing…”
Reports suggest that Bergvall is now valued at £54m by Tottenham, which is a substantial increase on the fee paid to bring him to North London.
Lucas Bergvall could be priced out of leaving Tottenham in the future
It’s unlikely that the Lilywhites would want to ever part ways with the 19-year-old should he continue on his current trajectory.
But should they ever be forced into a potential sale, the market for a player like Bergvall is expected to be rather small, given the size of Premier League wages, on top of the fee Spurs would demand.
“It’s hard to be scientific when valuing a player. It depends on the demand and other market forces. I think one problem the likes of Spurs could have in the future is that Premier League wages are so high that there ultimately aren’t that many clubs you can actually sell to,” Williams stated.
Back in April, Bergvall signed a new Tottenham contract, and it is reported that he earns around £60,000-per-week.
“For all the talk of Spurs being frugal, they have the sixth-most expensive squad in the world in terms of transfer fees, plus they generate nearly so much more money than clubs who originally would have been above them in the food chain, the likes of Atletico Madrid, both Milan clubs, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and so on.”