Lucas Bergvall scout report.

Spurs have taken a gargantuan U turn in terms of recruitment over the past 18 months, steering away from the ancient targets of Antonio Conte to young promising talents that have caught Paratici’s eyes, with it now being taken control of with Tottenham’s new technical director Johan Lange. Paratici favoured the young Italian and standard European market when signing young players; Kulusevski, Udogie, Sarr & Gil. Whereas Lange is going closer to home targeting the Scandinavian market as we’ve seen with the acquisition of Bergvall but also the links to Norwegian, Antonio Nusa, Swedish starlet Roony Bardghji and FC Nordsjælland’s Ibrahim Osman. Why? Well it’s simple Lange has a incredibly strong knowledge of the Scandinavian market being the former technical director of Danish giants FC København. I’m not saying Lange ‘knows ball’ more than Paratici but that region is Lange’s bread and butter as Paratici’s bread and butter is the Italian market and cooking books, allegedly.

Took a tangent there. Accusations stop here and Bergvall chat properly begins.

Player profile.

Name: Lucas Bergvall

Age: 18

Nationality: Swedish

Height: 6ft1/1.83m

Pref foot: Right

Position: #8 & #10

Bergvall’s tactical roles/responsibilities.

Shoutout to Kim Bergstrand, he uses Lucas Bergvall in a very fun way. On paper Bergvall is a right #8 in a 4 – 3 – 3 however Bergvall has freedom and licence to float and roam around the pitch as he see’s fit. You’ll see Bergvall pull out wide to the right touchline to pull at the opponent’s shape and act as an option for a CB, plotting himself between lines in the right half space, or even popping up on the left to create overloads. He’s almost an unofficial number 10 but can genuinely at times play as a false 9. His all round role going forward is to create overloads out wide to free up wingers to generate cut backs and crosses. And if he’s not creating overloads it’s to arrive in the box late to finish said cut backs and crosses. It is your very stereotypical 8 role, something that we saw at Spurs with Pape Matar Sarr. Despite being the ‘free man’ when Djurgården is in possession Bergvall still has lots of responsibilities off of it. Djurgården were vulnerable to a lot of counter attacks in the games I watched, which often meant Bergvall would have to make lung bursting runs to get back into shape which switched between a 4 – 3 – 3 mid block and a very stereotypical modern day 4 – 4 – 2 with Bergvall stepping up alongside the striker two apply pressure when CBs were in possession. When in a 4-3–3 he would slot into that right sided 8 role cutting off passing lanes but mainly maintaining the shape but applying pressure to anyone that would step out with the ball out wide.

Bergvall physical profile.

When you watch Djurgården and Bergvall he does aesthetically not look out of place in senior football despite playing the past season as a 17 year old. Standing at 6ft1 the Swede is fairly lanky but has enough bulk and physical attributes to withstand the physical demands of the modern game, which surprisingly! is quite important as a midfielder. Bergvall isn’t physically dominating but he’s clever and cunning in the way he jams himself between man and ball in battles which visibly frustrates opponents in the Allsvenskan often leading to easy fouls and yellow cards being drawn. (More on that later.) As he spends more time in England and as he ages I expect to obviously see Bergvall add a lot more muscle mass to his frame to make himself more equipped to the English game right now though I have zero worries with his strength/upper body strength. If anything a player like Bryan Gil should look at someone like Bergvall and how he uses his body to protect and regain the ball. Midfielders have to run though they can’t just be body builders, and Bergvall can run. A LOT. One of his standout physical attributes has to be his engine and natural fitness levels, as mentioned earlier going forward he has a lot of freedom resulting in shuttling from right to left but still gets back into shape as fast as he can when possession is lost. He could run for Sweden, despite all the ground he covers his physical attributes doesn’t take a noticeable downturn. He can still make high intensity sprints to stretch the back line, carry the ball, or close down opposition. He’s not Pape Sarr levels of fitness and ground coverage – not many are – but it’s still a very high level in respect to his age. He is deceptively quick for a player of his size, but his acceleration is definitely what gives him the advantage in foot races and when looking to carry the ball or intercept passes. He is quick for a midfielder, but definitely doesn’t have the speed compared to a winger or full back, explosive off the mark but not rapid over distance with and without the ball. One physical attribute that does size up well with wingers and full backs is his agility and all round ability to access unexpected and awkward angles especially when dribbling, it’s very impressive for a player of his height and frame to possess his footwork without looking clunky and awkward. Shouldn’t come as a surprise that a player with good acceleration also possesses a good powerful leap when competing for aerial duels whilst also remaining strong and in control of his body when in the air. So far Bergvall is yet to pick up an injury of any note, so there is no past ACL injuries or hamstring issues I can report back on. This will change though naturally as he develops physically but also having a different type of workload at Tottenham. Great sign though.

• Lucas Bergvall’s 2023 Allsvenskan heat map •

Bergvall’s psychological profile.

Bergvall is clearly a confident character and would be a player I’d ear mark for the future to be one of the more senior and reliable players to call on. He tries expressive and daring skills, but also has the discipline and maturity to not be immature on the ball. He’s a willing leader often triggering and demanding his team mates to follow up his pressing from the front. I’m painting him out to be some hard nut but he’s also a very encouraging and supporting team mate, rarely getting frustrated with himself or others. That mindset is reflected in his resilience to keep trying the right things even if the game is going against him, he has the confidence to try things regardless of failing so is happy for others to fail as long as they’re trying to be positive. A mature head on very young shoulders.

Bergvall’s technical profile.

The good stuff. The very good stuff, so good in fact I don’t really know where to start. So I’m just going to start with him receiving the ball and working my way forward. Makes sense.

Technically Bergvall’s a joke, and you see that when he receives the ball. His first touch is always calculated and well informed due to his relentless scanning before receiving. At times Bergvall will drop in and act as a #6 in build up receiving the ball off of CBs and looking to progress play, when receiving in these situations under no pressure he receives on the back foot and keeps it tight under his control stopping any potential triggers for a press, if he receives in this situation centrally with back to play with on coming pressure his touch is usually intelligent often going across the oppositions running line which results either in a foul being drawn or the player pulling out and avoiding fouling him — this touch across defenders running line is a common occurrence with him all over the pitch when under pressure. He’s very adept at drawing contact. In higher advanced areas when receiving between lines — off of both sides — he orients his body in such a way he can receive on his back foot yet has his body positioned so he’s not in a vulnerable position to be dispossessed, the first touch is always positive, chest down over the ball, clean touch into space and so that he doesn’t have to break stride which gives the following action the best chance of being at the highest possible quality whether that is a pass, carry or shot on goal. Bergvall’s all round first touch and control is at a very high level he can control awkward passes off of both feet even at awkward heights, very niche and specific but he can control passes with his thighs very well with that being either from a throw or a lofted pass.

I said his first touch allows his passing to be at a high quality however a lot of the time his passes are 1 touch but the passes look like they come off of a cushion with the perfect amount of pace and direction with little to no bobble. His first touch in this instance isn’t setting up for him to perform a high quality action rather than it’s his team mate that has the foundations to do something to a high quality. These first time small passes often pop up on the right hand side when combining with the full back or winger, these passes seem of low importance when written down but when you see the emphasis Djurgården put on looking to combine and create overloads in wide areas for cut backs — sound familiar? — these soft quick intricate passes are very important for his current side and his future side in North London.

Watching Bergvall you can see why Barcelona a club notorious for their love of possession and heavy passing game wanted Bergvall, he’s not the complete package when it comes to his passing game but he has a lot of strings to his bow. He’s not slow on the ball he has a clear picture of what he wants to do with the it so the all round tempo is not effected, the quality of his short to medium range passes with his instep are very good and I didn’t see him under hit any of these passes, he clearly has good pass appreciation. When facing up and receiving in front of the midfield line Bergvall is more than comfortable punching a pass through the lines which he does to a high quality, and when necessary adds a very deceptive disguise to these line splitting passes. Over longer ranges is where I found inconsistencies, a few switches of play lacked the quality and power to keep things ticking.

It’s why Barca and Spurs make so much sense, having him in a high possession side where passing distances are shorter will really bring the best out his game and cover the weaknesses. The youngster also showed some tactical awareness with his passing when receiving from CBs where he’s positioned more centrally he performed a few nice wall passes which completely killed off the oppositions press.

Spoke in the physical profile of Bergvall and mentioned his ability to use his body despite not being aesthetically the most dominating figure, you see the combination of this and his first touch when Bergvall is looking to carry and dribble the ball. A smooth and coordinated dribbler of the ball Bergvall has the creativity in the final third to manipulate and embarrass his opponents, using both feet as well as all parts of his feet Bergvall is as unpredictable as it gets. There were a few instances of Bergvall using a combination of shielding and dribbling near the by line, opening his hips and orienting to play backwards before spinning with the ball to get down the by line in hope for a cut back. But a lot of the time when Bergvall is carrying the ball it’s either in the 1st or middle third either wide by the touch line or centrally. When in central areas specifically deeper ones there is a bit of Tanguy Ndombele in him with how he carries the ball and evades pressure, he doesn’t slow down the tempo as he keeps his touches minimal but when under pressure he can escape at angles you and the defender don’t expect him to, which is then followed by a quick pass once the defender is beaten. A lot of the time when evading pressure he doesn’t even dribble the ball, he just uses his first touch to completely take the player out the game. The highlight reel dribbles usually come on the half way line out wide where the Swede turns into a street footballer, jinking and mocking defenders before progressing the ball forward. He’s smooth, press evasive and fun to watch. It’s pure football. Comfortable running with the ball with players on hips and back, he’s a really nice link from midfield to attack or even defence to attack in one.

There wasn’t many shooting opportunities for Bergvall in the games I watched him but there were a few, but the common occurrence when shooting, it lacked the ruthlessness – Like Pape – to be a threat. The lack of consistent ball striking and ability to pick out the corners meant when Bergvall went for goal, they didn’t particularly trouble the keeper. It’s definitely an area of improvement in his game. When playing passes and shots that require more power, there is a clear drop off in quality compared to when he’s stroking the ball around the park with his instep with control.

Another area of improvement but not a weakness is his aerial ability. I would personally consider him a threat aerially in both boxes and over the pitch. At 6ft1 he has the advantage height wise but also a nice leap gives Bergvall a strong foundation in aerial battles, however his heading – like his shooting – does lack the accuracy to become a constant threat from set pieces, often getting to far across the ball where it runs wider. If he became a player that could contort his body so he heads through the ball rather than across it, he would easily be a serious threat from set pieces.

Crossing and cut backs are important in games for Djurgården and Spurs, but I didn’t see enough to give a solid take and opinion on this. There was a few nice attempts of low KDB esque crosses from half spaces and wide areas off the right that had a lot of quality on and hit that corridor of uncertainty. However with his inconsistent ball striking ability, I expect crosses will not be a strength in his game and more than likely a weakness/are of improvement.

Defensively Bergvall is strong, he reads the game well making interceptions on a consistent basis. Bergvall has kind of a trademark move when stand tackling and approaching deals. He ghosts in to the challenge and steals the ball with ease resulting in an easy foul being drawn or a start to a dangerous counter attack. Post duel he’s very composed making passes, carries and picking up fouls with ease. He’s definitely tenacious defensively, he predominantly stays on his feet in duels but when he goes to ground for a slide tackle he’s tenacious and times it well even if at times he gives away a foul. He has the bite and snap needed in the top 5 leagues where off ball actions can be as important as on ball actions.

Bergvall’s tactical profile.

Bergvall is an intelligent footballer when the ball isn’t at his feet as well. A common sight throughout games I noticed was his constant ability to force players into areas that would either trigger a press or result in a turnover. He was very meticulous with cutting off passing lines/options then when necessary jumped to the player in possession and ushering him into an area where Djurgården had the upper hand. His intelligence is also shown when he shapes and adjusts his body mid movement to still make sure that pass isn’t made. It’s calculated and clever.

Pre watching Bergvall I heard people describe him as a midfielder in that box crasher role, I do agree to a degree however I don’t believe he ‘crashes’ into the box. I think he lacks the intensity and drive in his movements when attacking the box, often coming in at a jog Bergvall didn’t make enough of the space that was available in the 18 yard box or didn’t do enough to get into the crossers/cut backers (is that a word?) eye sight to be picked out – often being screened off by a player retreating to goal. His positioning and movement to breach space in the half spaces however is interesting and super effective. Say the fullback had possession high up in the middle third, on the edge of entering the final third. Bergvall would start centrally curving his run towards FB in possession showing to feet momentarily before bursting forward into the half space. If found Bergvall had space, if not the oppositions structure and shape was effected in some form. Movement from corners to gain separation was very good as well, he appears to be an absolute headache to mark from corners constantly spinning back and forth and using team mates to block off his marker for staying touch tight to him, this annoying movement nearly got himself a goal vs Hammarby yet the header didn’t have the sufficent contact to be as threatening as it should of been.

My opinion on Bergvall.

I am VERY high on Lucas Bergvall and believe this is a signing that’s not getting the respect is deserves. Bergvall fits the right #8 mould for Ange to a tee. A technically secure, composed, and mature player already at a young age with further development in a Premier League environment like Tottenham could see Bergvall explode. He’s 18 though yet with a good mentality and hunger, Bergvall should be able to comfortably become a certified Premier League player if not a Premier League star.

Forecast for the future.

I view Bergvall as a multi positional midfielder, he has qualities that can see him fill in as 6, he has all the qualities to be a high level #8 yet I personally believe he lacks the end product right now the be a number #10.

I picture him providing competition for Pape Matar Sarr and Bentancur in the 8 roles and even James Maddison if Spurs were to alter their shape into a 6 and two 8s rather than a 6, an 8 and a 10. I can’t see a loan being an option for him, he has 16 final ish games for Djurgården before he links up with Spurs on 1st July for pre season therefore we should really see the best of him pre season early season when others are picking up their fitness. Be excited this is some coup from Johan Lange and co. We could be back.

If you made it this far thank you for reading, it’s a fairly long one but there will be a condensed twitter thread in the following days.

Thank you again,

TSS✌️

• Games watched: Hammarby (H), AIK (H), Sirius (H), Varberg (A), Häcken (H), Kalmar (A)