Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi has given a clear assurance over Lucas Bergvall's future at the club, while leaving the door open on a potential departure for Pape Matar Sarr before the summer transfer window shuts.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, De Zerbi was pressed on whether he could guarantee that both Bergvall and Sarr would remain at the club beyond the September 1 deadline. His response regarding the young Swedish midfielder left no room for doubt.
"Lucas Bergvall, 100 per cent," De Zerbi said. "We spoke a lot in pre-season. He's a top player with top potential player. I think now that he wants to stay and we have no problem."
The comments suggest that any speculation linking Bergvall away from north London has been put to rest, with the coach indicating that internal discussions during the summer preparation period were enough to convince the youngster that his immediate future lies with Spurs.
The situation surrounding Sarr, however, appears far less settled. The Senegalese international has attracted interest from Premier League rivals Brentford, while Turkish giants Galatasaray have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of the midfielder in recent weeks. When asked directly about Sarr's prospects of staying, De Zerbi stopped short of offering the same guarantee he gave for Bergvall.
"For Pape, he started pre-season late because he started in Senegal until first week in August, I think," the Italian explained. "He's a good player. I don't know if he stays or not. We have to analyse the situation. But he is another very, very important player."
The delayed start to his pre-season, attributed to international commitments in Senegal, appears to have complicated matters somewhat, with De Zerbi suggesting that the club still needs time to properly assess the situation before reaching a final decision on the player's future.
De Zerbi also touched on the situation of Mikey Moore, who impressed while on loan at Rangers in Scotland last season. Asked about the young attacker's prospects at Tottenham, the head coach expressed satisfaction with his progress.
"I am happy with Mikey Moore," De Zerbi said. "He is working well. He is a good player. I don't know or not if he goes on loan. He has big potential for the club."
The coach indicated that the club is still weighing up the best path forward for Moore, whether that means integrating him into the first-team picture or sending him out on loan once again to continue his development elsewhere.
De Zerbi extended his remarks to include two other academy products, Luca Williams-Barnett and Malachi Hardy, praising the club's youth pathway and expressing pride in the talent coming through the ranks.
"We try to find the best solution for every player we have," he added. "Also for Luca Williams-Barnett and Malachi Hardy. Big potentials. We're proud they come from our academy."
With the transfer deadline fast approaching, Tottenham's coaching staff appear to be juggling multiple decisions regarding their squad depth, balancing the ambitions of established first-team players like Sarr against the development needs of promising young talents such as Bergvall, Moore, Williams-Barnett and Hardy.
Based on reporting from standard-football.