"He's the paciest player in the Eredivisie," says Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan; listen to the Transfer Talk Podcast for the full lowdown
Wednesday 29 January 2020 08:50, UK
With Tottenham set to sign Steven Bergwijn from PSV Eindhoven, Dutch football journalist Marcel van der Kraan has given the Transfer Talk Podcast the inside track on the "electric" forward's move.
Spurs look set to bring in Bergwijn for £25.6m plus add-ons as a replacement for Christian Eriksen, whose transfer to Inter Milan was concluded on Tuesday.
Bergwijn, who made his international debut in October 2018, was kept out of PSV training this week and has been in London to undergo a medical at Tottenham ahead of the transfer being completed.
Here, Van der Kraan explains why the Netherlands forward can follow in the footsteps of Marc Overmars and be a success in the Premier League...
"The player met with Mourinho on Tuesday morning. He travelled over with his parents and agent, and has been very keen on the move to be done on time.
"This is why he almost caused civil war at PSV on Sunday when he told them two hours before a match, 'sorry, I'm not going to play in this Eredivisie match, I'm off to London'.
"At first, the fans could not believe their star player was not prepared to play that afternoon.
"At that time, all was not revealed, but there was a co-operation from the board that was not made clear to the fans. Why did the board co-operate and why did the manager allow him to leave? Because the club needs the money. £26m is half of the total budget of the entire PSV squad for a whole year.
"You can imagine the club were keen to do a deal, although it was difficult to sell it to the fans when the club aren't doing well anyway.
"He signed a new contract and they discussed maybe in the summer if a big club comes, he wants permission to leave and there has to be a clause in the contract.
"They were not counting on January. The player said if he has to play at PSV for the rest of the season, if they do not co-operate with a transfer to Tottenham, he would play till the end of the season, but they were willing to let him go, and I think he's over the moon PSV gave him permission."
"He's small, nippy, quick. I would think he's the paciest player in the Eredivisie. A pacier player than Bergwijn we will not see again.
"He has been lightning in some top games for PSV, and this is also the reason why Holland coach Ronald Koeman is counting on him at Euro 2020 this summer.
"Koeman has lost Memphis Depay to a cruciate knee ligament injury, and he still has Bergwijn who can do damage as a striker, a left winger. He can almost play in three or four positions up front. That's very interesting for Mourinho.
"A player in the Premier League who has absolute pace, and we go back as far as Marc Overmars at Arsenal... when you have pace, class, the Dutch skill and technique, I think those players will do well."
Memphis Depay swapped PSV for Manchester United in 2015, but stayed at Old Trafford for just 18 months...
"The main thing there is if you go at the right time. Bergwijn has played for a number of seasons in the Eredivisie, Memphis had only just arrived on the scene.
"Even Louis van Gaal when he signed him [Depay] said it was a bit early, and was going to sign him in two or three years' time, but Depay wanted to move early and Liverpool were on the scene. United realised they had to act.
"If we see where Depay is today, he has been vital for Holland and playing very well for Lyon. Maybe some players must not turn up too early in the Premier League - you see that with academy players too, who go out on loan first."
"Spurs will see they have a player who gains value in the next few years. He's young, electric, an international player already and will star in the Euros.
"If Holland do alright in the Euros, then Spurs will see his value go up. I cannot see him fail at Tottenham. PSV have lost a massive player."
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
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The Transfer Talk podcast is also back with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
