Bergvall explains decision to snub Barcelona for Tottenham

Stuart Telford

• 6 Feb 2024 16:27 GMT
• 3 min read

Swedish wonderkid Lucas Bergvall sensationally snubbed Barcelona to sign for Tottenham Hotspur last Friday, and now he has lifted the lid on his reasons for the decision.

Bergvall joined Spurs in a €10 million transfer from Djugardens on turning 18 on 2 February, and had been tipped to join Barcelona with the Catalan giants scouting him for a significant time.

Bergvall had even travelled to Spain to undergo a medical, but Tottenham swooped in at the 11th hour, denying Barca their highly-coveted player.

Spurs may have Premier League appeal, but Barca are five-time European champions are there has been some surprise at his decision, especially from Spain. For Bergvall, the decision was clear, though.

"It felt better in my gut," he told Swedish newspaper Sportbladet. "They're both incredible clubs. It was a very difficult choice, it was 50/50 for a very long time, but it felt like the next step for me was Tottenham.

Bergvall: 'a tough decision'

"It wasn't very easy to say 'no' to Barcelona, it took a very long time to decide. It was a tough decision."

Bergvall will now team up with compatriot Dejan Kulusevski at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but he says the former Juventus winger didn't actively try to recruit him.

"We talked a little before," Bergvall admitted. "In general, how the club works, how they work, how they train, what the days look like.

"It wasn't a persuasive talk like that. He just said the club was great and I noticed that when I got there. I got an incredible reception, it's a very family club but incredible people."

Despite their respective histories, Spurs do look more stable than Barcelona for now. The latter remain more than €1 billion in debt, and head coach Xavi recently revealed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.