It was a poignant moment, and especially so for Tottenham Hotspur supporters. Dele Alli, back on screens in the Premier League as a guest on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, produced some high-level analysis and lifted cautious hopes that he would be back on the grass in the future.
Of course, this won't be down at N17 but after a tough journey, fans will simply wish to see their one-time prodigy celebrating once more, having last scored in the English top-flight in a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2021.
He's since transferred to Everton after an unsuccessful loan move with Besiktas in Turkey and while he is out of contract at the end of the campaign, the 28-year-old seemed sanguine, ready for the challenge of returning to form and fitness after an interminable spell on the sidelines.
Flanked by Heung-min Son, lingering off Harry Kane, supplied by Christian Eriksen, Dele truly enjoyed staggering heights as one of English football's most remarkable youngsters but deteriorated following Mauricio Pochettino's dismissal in 2019 and currently sits at the lowest point of his career.
The England international was a remarkable attacking midfielder for the Lilywhites, and while James Maddison has been a wondrous playmaking presence this season, signing from Leicester City in a £40m transfer last summer, he doesn't have Dele's skill set.
That said, up-and-coming talent Lucas Bergvall might just have the blend of qualities to succeed Tottenham's erstwhile midfield machine.
Why Spurs signed Lucas Bergvall
Tottenham were one of the most active Premier League clubs during a rather drab January transfer market, wrapping up deals for Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner as Ange Postecoglou sought to fortify his Champions League-chasing squad.
While many expected the club to push ahead with plans to sign a centre-midfielder, it was something of a surprise when efforts were focussed on hijacking Barcelona's move for exciting young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, stealing the move and landing the player for £8m, plus add-ons.
Drawing similarities to Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham given his all-encompassing, technically brilliant approach to his play, Bergvall will remain with his homeland outfit Djurgardens IF in Sweden until the summer, linking up with his new teammates ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
One eagle-eyed analyst even went as far as to say that Spurs had got their mitts on a "generational" talent, having produced some brilliant displays in his homeland.
Lucas Bergvall's season in numbers
As per Sofascore, Bergvall completed 88% of his passes across 25 fixtures in the Swedish top-flight last season, also succeeding with 68% of his dribbles.
The Swedish football calendar is just three matches into the current campaign but the 18-year-old has enjoyed another level-up in his meteoric rise, scoring once across three games this term, completing 89% of his passes and averaging 5.7 ball recoveries, 3.0 dribbles and 8.3 successful duels per match.
His positional intelligence belies his teenage years and his inexperience, while his sinew-framed strength denotes what will shape him into a monstrous presence when he reaches the peak of his growth, playing within Postecoglou's system.
Bergvall's former coach, Andreas Engelmark, has delved deep to describe the teenager's ever-developing style of play.
"First of all he has an incredible mentality where he wants to improve all the time. It doesn't matter if he is at BP or Djurgardens or the national team, he is going to go out there and try to do his best. That's his main attribute.
"In terms of his skillset, he is good with the ball. He is a good passer, he can drive with the ball. He is pretty complete in that way. He has the physicality to be a good ball-winner as well but I think that is something he needs to be more consistent with to take his game to the next level.
"I think his best position is as a No. 8 and we will see in the next few years if he sticks with that position or is going to become more of a 6."
With such a rounded ability and natural ease in his forward play, Bergvall could even be Tottenham's next Dele, perhaps even a more effective, most polished version.
Dele Alli 2.0
Having plundered 67 goals and 59 assists over 269 outings for Tottenham before sinking and transferring to Everton, Dele was rightly considered one of Europe's foremost talents, with Pochettino even claiming back in 2017: "If he is not the best young player in Europe, he’s one of the best. Look at his age and his statistics, the potential is massive."
23/24
0
0
0
22/23
2
0
0
21/22
10
1
0
20/21
15
0
1
19/20
25
8
4
18/19
25
5
3
17/18
36
9
11
16/17
37
18
9
15/16
33
10
9
While Dele's influence and potency waned as his Tottenham career progressed, there's no questioning the precocity of his performance level when he first blessed the country with his presence.
Bergvall, rangy and robust in his physicality, offers qualities that could make him a singular attacking outlet much like Dele, capable of challenging Maddison for a place in the forward spike of the central midfield.
That said, Maddison plays a role more similar to Eriksen, ranking among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 7% for passes attempted and the top 1% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
While FBref do not record metrics in the Swedish Allsvenskan, Bergvall's above-discussed statistics this season highlight how he would play a very different role for Postecoglou's side.
Spurs looking to sign Bellingham-esque star who's better than Bergvall
The Spurs target has been thriving in the Bundesliga this season.
ByTom Lever
Bergvall's complete skill set makes him perfect for the Premier League, fit to function effectively in a range of roles but gifted with the natural elegance and power in his dribbling that could see him emulate Dele and feed on Premier League opposition in a central attacking midfield role.
That said, it's unclear whether his future will focus on a deeper, more flexible deployment, but one thing is without question: Bergvall is a talent of elite standard and he could be the brightest young gem to grace Tottenham since Dele broke into the senior set-up.
