Lucas Bergvall turned down the chance to leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer and signed a bumper new contract - and just weeks later, he is having to explain why the team he committed to sit bottom of the Premier League table.
The 20-year-old midfielder was strongly linked with a move away from north London throughout the transfer window, with reports connecting him to Chelsea, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Tottenham also turned down significant bids from Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest for the Sweden international.
Once the window closed with Bergvall still a Spurs player, he went on to sign a new contract with the club earlier this month. His previous deal had run until the summer of 2031; the length of the new agreement has not been disclosed.
Bergvall believes there were several factors behind Tottenham's decision to hand him fresh terms.
"But everything from gaining more experience, learning new things every day, becoming more mature in certain parts of my game and being tougher in other parts. Other than that, I don't want to sit here in the media and say what discussions we've had between us," he told SVT Sport.
The new deal is understood to represent a significant pay rise for the 20-year-old.
"It's hard to say - I'm worth what the club is willing to give me," Bergvall said.
He also addressed the volume of speculation that surrounded him throughout the summer, insisting it barely registered.
"Yes, there was a lot of speculation, but I let time speak for itself, and I've always had a good dialogue with the club," he said.
Since arriving at Tottenham, Bergvall has made 83 appearances, scoring twice and providing nine assists.
His renewed commitment, though, comes at an awkward moment. Tottenham have taken just two points from their opening five Premier League matches and sit bottom of the table, prompting Bergvall to offer his own explanation for the club's alarming start under new head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
"It's difficult for me to say how we've been affected compared to previous years. But it's a process. We have a lot of new players and a fairly new coach, who helped save us last year. We're trying to build something big, and that takes time," he told Fotbollskanalen.
Many of Tottenham's summer signings have yet to make an impact, and De Zerbi has spoken publicly about a lack of leadership within the squad. Bergvall was reluctant to go into detail on the point.
"It's difficult to put into words exactly what needs to improve. It's everything from experience, learning new things every day, and then getting better at all sorts of things. Being more mature in certain parts of the game. Maybe being even tougher in other parts," he said.
Pressed further, the midfielder hinted at friction in how the squad communicates, without elaborating.
"Then maybe those aren't things I want to talk about in the media - what our relationship and communication between us looks like," he added.