Former Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld believes Lucas Bergvall has the potential to become a £100million-plus player, but insists the teenager must first establish himself at Spurs before thinking about a move to one of Europe’s giants.
Bergvall, who joined Tottenham from Swedish side Djurgarden, has emerged as one of the club’s most exciting young talents and has attracted plenty of attention since arriving in north London.
And Alderweireld, who made more than 200 appearances over a six-year spell at White Hart Lane, believes Spurs must resist any temptation to cash in on the midfielder if they genuinely believe he can become one of the cornerstones of their team.
Toby Alderweireld’s Lucas Bergvall verdict
He told Hajper: “It all comes down to how you’re going to use Lucas Bergvall because he could be someone you want to build your team around. If that’s what Tottenham Hotspur think, don’t sell him. If they see that in other players then you need to sell him.
“If you believe he can be a very important player then you keep him, even if you spend £100 million on another player in his position. If you believe in someone who is still very young and you sell him, that would be very stupid.”
Alderweireld also suggested Bergvall’s long-term value could rise dramatically if he fulfils his potential, but was keen to stress that the player should not become distracted by speculation about his future
“Ideally he stays at Spurs and shows how good he is, and the potential he has, to then move to a club like Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid for a fee that lets you put the money back into the team rather than Newcastle United or Nottingham Forest this summer,” he added.
“First of all he needs to leave his mark on Spurs and show other clubs that this is who I am, this is how I help my team, and get better where he is first and take every step forward one at a time rather than thinking too much about where all those steps will lead.
“I think first of all he needs to leave his mark on Spurs and to show, this is who I am, this is how I help the team.”
