Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi has urged players who are unhappy at the club to leave ahead of the new Premier League season.
The North London outfit narrowly avoided relegation last season, with the Italian drafted in for the final six games to steer them away from the drop zone.
A win over Everton on the final day was enough to send rivals West Ham down instead, which would ultimately allow Spurs to sign their star midfielder, Mateus Fernandes, for £85million.
De Zerbi’s recent comments come ahead of the club’s pre-season tour in New Zealand and Australia, which kicks off with a match against A-League champions Auckland in the early hours of Sunday morning, and amid rumours that Lucas Bergvall is pushing to leave.
Reports claim Tottenham have already rejected multiple bids for the Swedish international, including a £38m offer from Nottingham Forest, who are expected to return with an improved figure.
Speaking from the other side of the planet, De Zerbi said: “I was very clear at the start of my time in Tottenham. I said, who doesn’t want to stay in Tottenham? Who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave,
“I want the players to be proud and happy to stay here, to go on the pitch in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with big motivation. Because now in football, if you think also in the World Cup, the motivation makes the difference.
(Credit: Craig Mercer/ Alamy Live News)
“The motivation is to be happy to stay in one team.
“I have not spoken with Lucas yet,” said De Zerbi. “I will in the next days and we will make the best decision for the club, for Lucas, for me, for every one of us, without problems. Lucas is a big, big talent.
“There will be a big competition to play because at the end, I think we will be two players for each position.
“If he wants to stay, I will be happy. Otherwise, we have to find a new solution with [sporting director] Johan Lange, with [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham]. It’s not my business after the decision to leave.”
Spurs ready to continue spending in transfer market
Spurs have already splashed out this summer, adding Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, alongside Fernandes, to their ranks.
They have spent nearly £250m so far, although the majority of that has come on the former West Ham, Newcastle and Brighton players.
All three of Senesi, Robertson and Dubravka were picked up as free agents.
The sale of Luka Vuskovic to Brighton for £48m has helped recoup some of that spend, with club captain Cristian Romero expected to depart, alongside goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Now, De Zerbi’s attention turns to the attacking third of the pitch, with a new winger and striker a priority in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.
He added: “First of all, I think it’s not finished yet, our transfer market window. We have to finish; we have to bring another couple of, maybe more, maybe not less, but a couple of players.”
Spurs have been linked with Manchester City winger Savinho for over a year, as well as Bournemouth striker Eli Kroupi Jr, although Bournemouth’s stance is that he is not for sale.
And having suffered such a horrific injury crisis last season, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons still out, the Italian manager believes it is essential to reinforce an attack that struggles to score goals last season.