‘That was difficult’ – Player reveals he struggled mentally with lack of minutes at Spurs

Steven Bergwijn has admitted he struggled mentally at Tottenham due to a lack of opportunities and felt he deserved more of a chance to make his mark. 

Bergwijn, 24, left Spurs to join Ajax in a deal worth €31.25 million (£26.8m), bringing an end to a lengthy transfer stemming all the way back to the January transfer window (Ajax).

The Eredivisie side had agreed personal terms with the Dutch forward in the winter (The Guardian) but were unable to get a transfer over the line until now, which kept him under Antonio Conte’s watch for the rest of last season.

However, minutes at Spurs still came at a premium for Bergwijn as he held a bit part role, with the move back to his homeland expected to signal a fresh start in his career. 

And reflecting on his two-and-a-half-year spell in North London, the former PSV Eindhoven man has since admitted the lack of regular football left him struggling mentally. 

He told Algemeen Dagblad: “That was difficult. Especially mentally. 

“You don’t play much. If you get in, you’re important. But then you can sit down again.

“I thought I showed I could take a chance. But if you see how many minutes I got. I think that was disproportionate.”

Spurs Web Opinion 

It wasn’t the easiest of rides at Spurs for Bergwijn and there are arguments both for and against how his time at the club went. 

He arrived at a tough point where there were a number of manager and system changes which impacted how he was used, but he also did receive some opportunities which he didn’t really take. 

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