Flight 023: The imminent departure of the Flying Dutch Man

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The London club will sell Steven Bergwijn to Ajax this summer after almost agreeing on a deal for him in the January transfer window.

These were the words spoken by John Wenham, an insider of the club who has backed the move away from N17 for Steven Bergwijn.

Bergwijn has struggled for game time since Antonio Conte arrived at Tottenham six months ago, despite impressing when the occasional opportunity came his way.

He has only completed 90 minutes in the league since the beginning of the year and was heavily linked with a move to the Dutch club back in January.

Conte openly admitted after Spurs’ victory over Leicester that the former Eindhoven man has not been given the minutes he truly deserved.

The 24-year-old winger told a Dutch publication last week that he does not see himself at Tottenham next season and would be open to returning to the Eredivisie in search of more game time. He is conscious of the quality at Antonio Conte’s disposal, which makes it difficult to get a look in amongst the dynamic attacking trio of Son, Kane and Kulusevski.

The World Cup is a stone’s throw away, and it brings further cause for concern for Steven. Limited game time will surely decrease his already slim chance of making it into the Netherlands squad.

“A return to the Netherlands would certainly be an option for me. The World Cup is coming. Mr. Van Gaal, the national coach, brought me into the selection last time, even though I didn’t play much.”
Steven Bergwijn

There have been recent suggestions that ahead of Erik ten Hag’s own Ajax exit, he may seek to sign Steven for his next club Manchester United. But a departure from the Premier League altogether seems the most likely verdict for the former PSV winger.

Dutch journalist Mike Verweij has also backed Ajax to reignite their interests in Bergwijn this summer, but only after the confirmation of Alfred Schreuder as their next manager.

Verweij claims that the ‘door has never been closed’ for Bergwijn to complete a move to the Johan Cruyff Arena, but insisted that Ajax would first have to confirm a replacement for Erik Ten Hag.

“That door (Bergwijn to Ajax) has never been closed. There was talk last winter and since, there has always been a little feeling with him.

“First, Ajax will have to determine that Alfred Schreuder will be the new manager, and only then will there be a discussion about filling in the position.”
Mike Verweij

With Bergwijn surely on his way out, and Kane’s future still a potential doubt, Romelu Lukaku has been tipped to be a suitable replacement should he leave Conte’s ranks this summer.

Lukaku has struggled for regular first-team football under Thomas Tuchel since making his return to Chelsea last summer, with the Belgian making just over 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 times, and only completing a full 90 minutes on a staggering 13 occasions. And with the expected busy summer transfer window for Conte’s team, Lukaku has been deemed to replace the Spurs talisman should he depart ahead of next season. Former Spurs striker Darren Bent believes there would be ‘no one better‘ to replace Kane at Spurs than the Blues forward.

Jesse Lingard has started just twice for Manchester United this season and is out of contract in the summer; the midfielder has spoken of his desire for regular team football ahead of the World Cup this winter. Tottenham would be able to sign the 29-year-old on a free transfer at the end of the season after approaching his representatives about a summer move.

Spurs’ continued interest comes after Conte spoke of his desire to improve the squad he inherited. In addition to the colossal statue of the players already signed, Jesse would add further dynamism to an already mystifying offence.

Lingard’s fortunes have not improved under Ralf Rangnick, who has started the midfielder only once since replacing Solskjaer. Jesse’s lack of game time is a contributing factor to his recent absence from the England squad. His struggles this campaign is a daunting contrast to the second half of the 2020/21 season, scoring 9 times in 16 games during an impressive loan spell at West Ham.

Spurs are also looking to possibly offload: