Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to cash in on Steven Bergwijn continues to look like a good one with the former Premier League forward proving to be ‘very disappointing’ at Ajax, per De Telegraaf.
Before his £27 million move to Spurs three years ago, Bergwijn was arguably the most exciting forward in the whole of the Eredivisie.
So when the Dutch international returned home with perennial league champions Ajax, the expectation was that a player who struggled for consistency in England would tear the likes of Heerenveen, RKC Waalwijk and SC Cambuur limb from limb.
The reality, however, is proving to be very different.
The former PSV talisman now has just one goal in his last 17 games for club and country. And Ajax legend Wim Kieft is concerned that Bergwijn ‘lacks the will and drive’ to prove his doubters wrong at the Johan Cryuff Arena.
Steven Bergwijn struggling after leaving Tottenham for Ajax
“In attack, Steven Bergwijn is very disappointing,” Kieft says.
“He plays football like the eternal talent. It is as if you are watching the Bergwijn of four or five years ago at PSV, when he alternated one or two good matches with five bad ones.
“Bergwijn is now 25-years-old. He has had an adventure in the Premier League. So you can expect more than what he has shown at Ajax so far. Demand even more, because he is a player who was signed from Tottenham Hotspur for more than 31 million euros.
“He has it in him, but you don’t see it at all at Ajax. He lacks the will and drive to give everything to get the best out of himself. Bergwijn has to think about himself.”
Bergwijn told AD recently that he made the ‘perfect choice’ swapping the Tottenham bench for a role in Ajax’s starting XI. It’s unlikely that everyone in the Dutch capital is sharing his enthusiasm as things stand; a run of one goal since mid-October making a mockery of his £26 million, club-record price-tag.
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