Tottenham boss hails Steven Bergwijn after remarkable comeback win at Leicester City
Last Updated: January 19, 2022 11:13 pm
Conte praises ‘special’ Bergwijn after match-winning performance
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has heaped praise on Dutch international winger Steven Bergwijn after the former PSV Eindhoven star produced his most influential display in a Spurs shirt since his arrival in north London.
https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1483914766880018445
Bergwijn bagged a stoppage-time brace after coming off the bench in the 79th-minute to secure a remarkable comeback win by Tottenham against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
The result sees Tottenham leapfrog bitter rivals Arsenal into fifth and with three matches in hand over fourth-place West Han, has Spurs in striking distance of the coveted last Champions League place.
For Conte, Bergwijn remains important to the first-team set up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium;
“I have spoken about Steve in the past. For me, he is an important player with special characteristics. No one else in the team has these characteristics. He is good technically, he beats the man, he is a striker and in good physical condition. It is an important choice for me – I can put him in the starting eleven or bring him on in the game.” Note: quotes via Football365 citing BBC Sport
Could Dutch star still have a future at Tottenham?
Steven Bergwijn seemed all but destined to depart Tottenham this winter after Dutch giants Ajax sounded the winger out for a January move back to the Netherlands with Spurs seemingly open to allowing him to depart the club as long as their valuation was met.
ROTTERDAM – Steven Bergwijn of Holland celebrates 1-0 during the World Cup qualifier match between the Netherlands and Norway at Stadion de Kuip on November 16, 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. KOEN VAN WEEL (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
That potential move could now go up in flames after tonight’s influential performance by the 24-year-old, especially in the wake of Antonio Conte’s comments that hint at a level of importance that is not easily replaced with just two weeks left in the winter transfer period.
Incredible impact by Steven Bergwijn tonight. Ajax submitted two official bids for him in the last few days – Tottenham refused as they wanted much more than €15m. ⚪️ #THFC
…and it looks complicated for Ajax now. Two goals in 79 seconds. pic.twitter.com/K2sJhzVxXl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 19, 2022
And with just a small cadre of reliable forwards at Conte’s disposal, €15million for a player that has the ability of Bergwijn would signal poor business by the club given the alternatives on offer that are not named Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, or Lucas Moura.
On that basis alone, there could be a chance at redemption for Bergwijn who may well have a larger role to play for Tottenham as they look to achieve Champions League football under a demanding yet highly successful manager.
This article was edited by Ben Browning.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 36 | 72 | 89 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 36 | 11 | 66 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 36 | 11 | 55 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 36 | -3 | 50 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 36 | -4 | 47 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 35 | -4 | 45 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 35 | 4 | 44 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 35 | -1 | 43 |
| 13 | Brentford FC | 36 | -8 | 43 |
| 14 | Newcastle United | 36 | -21 | 43 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 36 | -20 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 35 | -19 | 36 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 34 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 36 | -38 | 34 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 36 | -38 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 36 | -56 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 10 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 9 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| James, Daniel | Leeds United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
