Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Fri 17 April 2026 15:30, UK

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Lucas Bergvall was thrown completely out of his depth as Roberto De Zerbi experimented during Tottenham Hotspur‘s defeat to Sunderland.

The 20-year-old midfielder has caught a lot of attention, despite experiencing an injury-plagued campaign in North London, with clubs circling for his signature in case of Spurs’ demise.

Although he’s one of the younger members of the Lilywhites’ squad, he continues to show no fear, but De Zerbi did very little to protect him during Spurs’ 1-0 loss at the Stadium of Light.

Tottenham next face Brighton on Saturday, 18 April, in what is seen as a must-win for the team sitting 18th in the Premier League table, and the boss can’t afford to make the same mistake with his midfield.

Lucas Bergvall emerged as Tottenham’s scapegoat vs Sunderland

Spurs offered very little attacking threat against the Black Cats, and with Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani all starting, Bergvall kept drifting wider than expected.

However, in a midfield alongside Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray, the 20-year-old Swedish international looked completely lost, eventually being hooked for Pape Matar Sarr in the 62nd minute.

Supporters were extremely critical of his performance away from home, but to be fair to the youngster, it was not a position that he should have found himself in, with De Zerbi to blame for that.

Clearly unsure of his position on the pitch, he barely had an impact in the final third and was always one step behind when it came to making tackles and putting in the defensive work.

Roberto De Zerbi could be handed a lifeline vs Brighton

Football Insider understands that Bergvall is currently happy at Tottenham, but that could easily change depending on the final few games of the 2025-26 campaign.

The youngster plays his best football at the base of midfield, alongside an experienced head, allowing him a chance to roam when it suits him, rather than being forced into an attacking role.

De Zerbi may have the chance to do that against the Seagulls, with Rodrigo Bentancur, a destroyer in the middle of the park, returning to training this week for the first time since getting injured in January.

It may seem like a risk to throw the Uruguayan straight into the lineup, but with Spurs’ midfield consistency of too similar characters, the former Juventus man would help fix a lot of problems right away.