Tottenham ace Dejan Kulusevski says he shares a ‘special bond’ with new teammate Lucas Bergvall
Dejan Kulusevski isn’t the only Swedish player in Tottenham Hotspur as he now has company from teenage sensation Lucas Bergvall.
Lucas Bergvall signed for Tottenham from Djurgardens back at the start of February but spent the rest of the campaign with the Swedish outfit as part of the agreement. He officially arrived at the Hotspur Way in July and has since become an integral member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad.
Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall may have enjoyed a mixed start to the new season with Spurs but the duo were called up to the Sweden national team recently for UEFA Nations League Qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Estonia.
In Victor Lindelof’s injury absence, Kulusevski wore the captain’s armband for his nation for the first time in the 3-1 away win over Azerbaijan last week, where Bergvall only made his second appearance for Sweden—coming off the bench with 18 minutes left to play. In the next game, Kulusevski led his team to a 3-0 win over 10-man Estonia earlier this week, and Bergvall was again handed some minutes off the bench by their manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.
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Now, the native from Stockholm has been discussing his relationship with his teenage compatriot, stating a ‘special bond’ is developing between him and Bergvall over the early stages of the new season.
“First of all, it’s so fun to have him here and it’s the first time I’ve had a Swedish team-mate here at the Club,” Kulusevski told the club’s official website.
“He’s still very young. I remember when I was his age and, when I see another youngster here, I feel like I can help him settle in and progress quicker because I’ve already done what he’s doing right now.
“It’s very nice to have him here and with me on the national team because he deserves to be there. He’s doing really good and he came very well prepared physically. Then mentally, he’s just a young man who wants to express himself playing football and that’s a good quality because it’s important that he has fun when he’s playing.
“I think for us around him, the best way to help him is to not give him too much information – just let him play football as he’s a very good player and that’s what I’m trying to do to help him. When people tell me to help him in different ways, I’m very protective of telling him too much because I just want him to have fun and enjoy it – I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on him because he’s very young.”
Having started their young careers at Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna, it is unsurprising that the duo struck a telepathic understanding on the pitch during the pre-season when Bergvall assisted Kulusevski’s goal against Bayern Munich. The 24-year-old has confessed that he knows Bergvall from before and the bond has only strengthened since the beginning of July.
“We’ve created a special bond together because we knew each other from before,” explained our No.21. “But when you’re with someone every day, you learn everything about them and we spend a lot of time together so it’s a great relationship that’s started.
“It was nice to share the pitch with him and I had this extra special feeling against FC Bayern when he assisted me for a goal so it’s things like that. But it’s only the beginning because when you have a great friendship away from the pitch usually it shows on the pitch and I’m sure that together we will do great things for the Club and our country as well.”
It is great to see a special bond building between Kulusevski and Bergvall. Having arrived from Djurgardens in July, Bergvall credited Kulusevski for his support in helping him settle in England and adjust to the demands of Premier League football.
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Going by Kulusevski’s latest interview, it looks like the pair appear to get on well off the pitch and fans will be hoping their connection can soon translate on the pitch, especially with the North London Derby showdown against Arsenal first up after the international break.
