Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn will evaluate his options in the summer transfer window.
What’s been said?
In recent comments cited by Algemeen Dagblad (via Sport Witness), the 24-year-old discussed his limited opportunities under the management of Antonio Conte, before suggesting that, if his situation at Tottenham does not improve over the remainder of the season, he could look to secure a move away from the Premier League side at the end of the current campaign.
Speaking after the Netherlands’ recent 1-1 draw with Germany, Bergwijn said: “I don’t get to play much at the club. I am happy that the national coach has called me up, that’s not [the] obvious [thing to do].
“You don’t forget about football. But of course, you feel that you don’t play that much. It was nice to be here again. We have a good and fun group.
“I wouldn’t know [whether his form for the Netherlands can improve his situation at his club], we’ll see. Everyone wants to play, of course. I have to keep my head up and work hard in training. Then we’ll see what happens in the summer.”
Conte must axe Bergwijn
While Bergwijn is undoubtedly an exceptionally talented player on his day, should Conte not be a fan of the Netherlands international, it would appear wise for the 52-year-old to move the forward on in the summer transfer window.
Indeed, since the Italian’s arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November last year, the £16.2m-rated winger – who John Wenham dubbed both “terrible” and “so out of form it’s untrue” earlier this season – has started just one Premier League fixture – playing a mere 215 minutes of league football over his 13 top-flight outings under Conte’s management.
However, in truth, the £73k-per-week attacker’s struggles at Spurs started long before the appointment of the former Inter Milan head coach, as, following his £27m signing back in January 2020, the 24-year-old has been given the nod from the off in just 25 Premier League fixtures – making a further 28 appearances from the bench.
And, considering his general level of performance over his two and a half years in north London, it is hardly surprising that the Dutchman has not managed to displace the likes of Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura, with Bergwijn averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.82 in 2019/20, 6.56 in 2020/21 and 6.75 so far this season – ranking him as Spurs’ 12th-best, worst and seventh-worst performer in each respective campaign.
As such, with the winger having attracted interest in the January transfer window, still being just 24 years of age and possessing a decent Transfermarkt valuation, this summer would indeed appear the optimum time for Conte to offload the forward – as the price Tottenham can demand for Bergwijn would only decrease further after another season in which he spends the majority of his time on the bench.
AND in other news: Conte must finally axe “anonymous” 25 y/o Spurs dud who needs a “kick up the backside”