When asked about the prospect of Steven Bergwijn returning to his old stomping ground after less than two years at Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax legend Sjaak Swart hardly exuded positivity.
“I don’t believe there is any contact with Bergwijn,” Swart, a veteran of seven Eredivisie titles between 1960 and 1973, told Voetbal Primeur in May.
“He was an Ajax player from the youth (team). He wanted to come back – but it did not happen.”
Seven months later, the picture appears to have changed somewhat.
And if Bergwijn does finally return to a club he represented as a wide-eyed youngster between 2009 and 2011, Sjaak and everyone connected with the Eredivisie champions will owe Antonio Conte a debt of gratitude.
“Conte doesn’t see it in him at all,” explains Mike Vermeij, a Dutch football reporter who specialises in Ajax.
“Conte is also the one who thwarted Bergwijn’s transfer from PSV to Italy. Inter Milan were interested at the time but Conte didn’t need him.
“Conte has only said two words to Bergwijn in two weeks at Tottenham Hotspur. That is why Ajax can consider (signing) him.”
Almost a month after taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo in the Spurs hotseat, Bergwijn’s tally of minutes under the new boss stands at zero.
There are mitigating factors of course – illness ruled the Dutchman out of Tottenham’s shock 2-1 defeat at NS Mura before the Premier League meeting with Burnley was called off with the Turf Moor pitch freezing under a blanket of thick snow.
But the fact remains that against Vitesse Arnhem, Everton and Leeds United, Conte opted to leave Bergwijn on the bench.
The former PSV winger, who joined Spurs in a £27 million deal when Jose Mourinho was still arranging the furniture in his north London office, has almost seen as many managers as a Tottenham player (three) as he’s scored league goals (four).
It’s not easy to see a place for Bergwijn in Conte’s 3-4-2-1 system either.
It isn’t out of the question the 24-year-old could be deployed as a wing-back or in a more central role but the phrase ‘square pegs in round holes’ comes to mind.
What’s more, Spurs have recently been linked with another PSV wideman in Cody Gakpo – a player who has been labelled ‘better’ and more of a goal-threat than Bergwijn.
“He fits the profile,” Ajax manager Erik ten Hag said in the summer when asked about offering Bergwijn an escape from his Premier League purgatory (TelleReport).
“We have a list with a limited number of names on it. We are in constant contact with various parties about this.”
Ten Hag wants him at Ajax. If Sjaak Swart is to be believed, Bergwijn wouldn’t be opposed to a second spell at the Johan Cruyff Arena either.
The only man standing in his way, then, appears to be Antonio Conte. And unless Bergwijn can upset the odds and complete a Victor Moses-style revival, you’ll forgive us for wondering if the die has been cast on his short-lived Spurs career.
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