ENIC have struck gold with Spurs signing who’s “like Modric”

Tottenham Hotspur have spent big on the midfield in recent times, but can anyone ever get close to Luka Modric in north London? That’s the question.

There’s always a lot of love for Mousa Dembele, considering his central role in Mauricio Pochettino’s beloved side, yet as he’s gone on to showcase since, Modric is arguably that class above.

Indeed, the Croatian genius is the benchmark when it comes to modern-day Spurs midfielders, with any sort of comparison to the diminutive talent undoubtedly a flattering one.

How much Spurs paid for Modric

He might not have been a household name at the time of his move to White Hart Lane, yet Modric was not exactly a relative unknown in 2008, having been courted by clubs across Europe and the Premier League.

Notably part of Croatia’s World Cup squad in 2006 – as he was again this summer – the then-youngster had captured the interest of the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, with Newcastle United also making a push for his signature.

Thankfully, it was Daniel Levy who managed to win the race in the end, forking out a then joint-record fee for the club of £15m, a figure matched by the signing of Darren Bent.

In Modric’s case, this was a player whom Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan had admitted “every other club in the league” would want, with it quickly becoming clear that Spurs had struck gold with his arrival.

Is Modric Spurs’ biggest talent of the 21st Century?

In all, the diminutive playmaker spent four years in English football, scoring and assisting 42 goals in 160 games in all competitions, albeit while walking away empty-handed in terms of silverware.

He’d long been linked with an exit by the time Real Madrid came sniffing around in 2012, the midfielder even receiving a fine for failing to turn up for Tottenham’s pre-season trip to the United States.

Alas, that should not tarnish his genius too greatly, with it worth remembering that he has since become a Ballon d’Or winner after all, picking up the award in 2018 after guiding Croatia to the World Cup final.

That’s an honour that not even Gareth Bale or Harry Kane have claimed, albeit with the latter man hoping to change that dynamic this year following a remarkable 2026 at Bayern Munich.

You would still have to say that Kane ranks at the top of the tree in terms of Tottenham’s star performers in the 21st Century, yet Modric would be in contention with the likes of Bale, Dembele and Heung-min Son for second place, having enjoyed such a storied career in European football.

Do Spurs potentially have the next Modric already in the building?

How Spurs struck gold with the ‘new Modric’

It’s difficult to be too positive right now regarding Roberto De Zerbi’s side, following a winless start to the Premier League season, with Spurs slipping to the bottom of the table heading into the international break.

Too many new signings have failed to fire, too many of the experienced players have gone off the boil too, with work still to be done for De Zerbi to turn his new-look group into a coherent, winning outfit again.

If there is any reason for positivity, it might be the young core that remains at N17, not least in midfield, be it Mateus Fernandes, Archie Gray or Lucas Bergvall.

In Bergvall’s case, he looked set to move on at one stage this summer, amid the push for increased game, yet keeping hold of him could prove a real coup.

Now, it’s not exactly been a successful start to the season again for the Swede, notably hooked at the break against Brentford, although he looked far more like himself in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool, dragging the visitors forward time and again.

It’s not been seen enough since his arrival back in 2024, yet there’s a graceful, natural quality to Bergvall’s game that really does stand out, with De Zerbi surely the perfect coach to coax him out of his shell properly.

Not necessarily defined by or pigeonholed into one midfield role, like Modric, the youngster floats around the pitch so effortlessly, such a joy to watch in full flow.

REUTERS/Peter Cziborra

In the view of The Athletic’s JJ Bull, for instance, Bergvall even has a first touch “like Modric“, with there a reason why clubs were queuing up to sign him over the summer.

Indeed, Newcastle – the club once keen to sign Modric – even lodged a bid of around £46m as they sought to replace Sandro Tonali, albeit with Spurs setting an asking price of more than £60m.

REUTERS/Caean Couto

If taking just that £46m figure, it marks a sizeable 475% increase on the initial £8m fee that was paid to prise him from Djurgarden, with the Lilywhites having surely secured a bargain, regardless of whether they do decide to sell or not heading into 2027.

Considering the 20-year-old did pen a contract extension earlier this month, it looks like this Modric-esque midfielder is here to stay for a wee while yet.