Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi says players who are unhappy at the club this summer should go elsewhere.
The Italian, who took over at Spurs at the end of March and helped them avoid relegation from the Premiership last season, said this amid doubts over Lucas Bergvall’s future at the club.
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Tottenham have rejected an initial bid of £38m from Nottingham Forest for Sweden midfielder Bergvall, with Forest set to increase their offer to £45m.
“I was very clear at the beginning of my time at Tottenham. I said, who doesn’t want to stay at Tottenham? Who is not happy, who can be proud to stay here, should leave,” said De Zerbi ahead of his team’s game against Auckland FC in New Zealand on Sunday (04:30 BST).
“I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with great motivation. Because now in football, if you think about the World Cup, motivation makes a difference.
“Motivation is the joy of being in the same group.”
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Tottenham are not done in the transfer market
Bergvall, who joined Spurs from Swedish club Djurgarden in 2024, played few minutes at the end of last season under De Zerbi.
The 20-year-old started Italy’s first game in charge – a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland – and, after that, made four substitute appearances.
Spurs have since signed midfielders Sandro Tonali – in a £100m deal from Newcastle United – and Mateus Fernandes for £85m from West Ham.
“I haven’t spoken to Lucas yet,” said De Zerbi. “I will do it in the coming days and we will make the best decision for the team, for Lucas, for me, for each of us, without problems. Lucas has a big, big talent.
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“There will be a big competition to play because in the end I think we will have two players in each place.
“If he wants to stay, I will be happy, otherwise we will have to find a new solution for him [sporting director] Johan Lange, and [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham]. It’s not my job after the decision to leave.”
Tottenham have also added full-backs Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi to their ranks and De Zerbi says the aim is now “to eliminate the attacking areas”.
“First of all, I think it’s not over yet, our transfer market window,” he added. “We have to finish, we have to bring in a few more, maybe more, maybe not less, but a few players.”
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Bergvall is in the Tottenham team in New Zealand, but midfielders Mohammed Kudus (thigh) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) have not gone as they have recovered from long-term injuries.
“Kudus is very close. I think that when we return to London he will be there to start working with us,” said De Zerbi. “It is a good thing for us that Kudus is another important player.
“Kulusevski, we have to see in the next few weeks. He is another important player. After one season, one full season, without a game, we have to analyze better and better, not take risks, first for him and then for us.”
Meanwhile, Spurs midfielder Xavi Simons said “the first four days were the worst days of my life” as he recalled a previous cruciate ligament injury he suffered in April.
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The Netherlands international required surgery on a serious knee injury and missed the 2026 World Cup.
“I couldn’t sleep, I didn’t eat for a week,” he told Tottenham’s website. “I was in a lot of pain. I vomited and felt dizzy, that was everything. That pain, I don’t want anyone to go through that pain.
“I don’t know how it is for other players but, for me, it was like my whole body was saying, ‘What happened?
“This is what it is. I’m happy and in a good place now.”
