Chelsea had one Bergvall bid rejected – here’s why it may not be the last

Chelsea were one of two Premier League clubs that enquired to sign Lucas Bergvall from Tottenham during the January transfer window, David Ornstein has reported.

The transfer insider has reported that the Stamford Bridge side, along with Aston Villa, approached Spurs over the 20-year-old midfielder, who is under contract with the North London side until 2031.

Ornstein, writing in The Athletic, reports that Tottenham rejected the offers out of hand, despite Bergvall having been limited to a reduced role with the club this term.

Bergvall a player marginalised at Tottenham

Spurs’ decision to sign Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for €40 million further marginalised Bergvall and prompted interest from their Premier League rivals in the Swede.

A central midfield player by trade, he was used in a wider area by Thomas Frank before the Dane, who is one of a number of Tottenham players injured, was sacked earlier this week.

Summer departure on the cards?

Whether the interest from Chelsea and Villa continues is likely to depend on two factors.

The first is how heavily Bergvall is used before the end of the season, while the latter is the next permanent manager’s plans for him.

Igor Tudor has been given the reins at Spurs until the summer, but beyond that, the situation is unclear. This will play a huge role in Bergvall’s future.

Why Chelsea want Bergvall

Although the Stockholm-born star has not been used heavily by Tottenham this season, he is a player with enormous potential.

Data analytics firm SciSports believes that Bergvall has what it takes to become one of the best in the world in his role. His potential of 128.1 SciSkill – which is calculated based upon hundreds of in-game data points – sees him placed comfortably in the experts’ top ten central midfielders with the most potential.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are known to be looking for additional midfield cover for Enzo Fernandez and Moise Caiceido, who have both played enormous minutes this season due to a lack of cover at the club.

Bergvall, who is a young, multi-purpose midfielder with very good levels of speed and stamina, is therefore an attractive option, particularly if he becomes unsettled at Tottenham.

But is Stamford Bridge the best destination for him? SciSports suggests that there could be a lack of game time and progression for him with the Blues, yet conversely their style and formation are a neat fit for him.

As such, Chelsea get a modest Club Fit score of 68. This is calculated using an algorithm that takes into account various factors and gives each club a score, with the higher the figure the likelier a move is to be a success. Juventus, for example, are rated as Bergvall’s best option with a Club Fit of 86.

His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €54.8m is in the range that Chelsea have typically operated during the BlueCo era, meanwhile.

The Blues may have been rejected once, but another raid in the summer is certainly possible.