De Zerbi says Tottenham players are free to leave
Roberto De Zerbi has made it clear that any Tottenham Hotspur players lacking commitment to the club should leave during the current transfer window.
De Zerbi's comments came ahead of Spurs' pre-season friendly against Auckland FC on Sunday amid speculation over the futures of Lucas Bergvall and Cristian Romero.
Bergvall only joined Spurs from Djurgarden in 2024, but he has been the subject of interest from Nottingham Forest.
The 20-year-old only signed a new deal until 2031 last April, but has fallen out of favour and dropped further down the midfield pecking order after Spurs' big-money acquisitions of Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United and West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes.
Since De Zerbi took over at Spurs in March, Bergvall has been limited to five appearances across all competitions, one of which was a start, totalling just 112 minutes of action.
Romero has also been linked with a move away, with Serie A champion Inter Milan a possible destination, while Micky van de Ven's future in north London also remains uncertain.
"I was very clear at the start of my time in Tottenham. I said, who doesn't want to stay in Tottenham? Who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave," De Zerbi said.
"I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation.
"Because now in football, if you think also about the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference. The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team."
It has been reported that Forest, which is now managed by Oliver Glasner, is set to return with an improved offer of £45 million ($85.8 million) to secure the services of Bergvall.
"I have not spoken with Lucas yet," De Zerbi added when asked about the Sweden international.
"I will in the next few days, and we will make the best decision for the club, for Lucas, for me, for every one of us, without problems. Lucas is a big, big talent.
"There will be a big competition to play because, at the end, I think there will be two players for each position.
"If he wants to stay, I will be happy. Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with [sporting director] Johan Lange, with [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham].
"It's not my business after the decision to leave."
De Zerbi has revealed Tottenham's transfer business is not over yet, despite splashing out on the signings of Tonali, Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, with Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka also joining on free transfers.
The Italian said attacking additions were the next things to tackle within his team, and while Bergvall is with Spurs for their pre-season tour, wingers Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski remain absent because of their respective injury issues.
"Kudus is very close. I think when we come back to London he will be available to start working with us," De Zerbi said.
"It's a great thing for us. Kudus is another important player. Kulusevski, we have to see in the next couple of weeks. He's another important player.
"After one season, one complete season, without a game, we have to analyse better and better, don't take risks, first of all for him and then for us."
