Swedish Strugglers BP Secure Major Transfer Coup

IF Brommapojkarna have completed the loan signing of Premier League keeper Lucas Bergstrom from Chelsea.

The club, known as BP, finished in the relegation playoffs in last season’s Allsvenskan and will be boosted by the arrival of the 21-year-old. He’s made the Blues’ matchday squad numerous times this season and also has some senior experience to draw upon.

“It feels great and I’m excited,” he said of his move on BP’s official website. “The team stepped up to Allsvenskan before last season, I know that young players get the chance here at the same time as we play an attractive football. I was happy when the interest came from BP.”

Bergstrom started his career in Finland, with stints in the youth setup at PIF and TPS before being snapped up by Chelsea in 2018. As he got older he grew to a towering 6ft 7in tall, making him a real presence in the penalty area.

After appearing on the bench at Stamford Bridge a handful of times, he was sent on loan to Peterborough United in League One, where he made 28 appearances, keeping nine clean sheets. He returned to Chelsea in the summer and has penned a new deal with the club ahead of his loan spell.

“It’s been a long journey from Pargas to Stockholm,” he said of his career so far. “I have been in London for five and a half years. I enjoyed my time at Chelsea and also at Peterborough. I got to see the inside of Chelsea and be there all the way. This is my next step in my development.”

In addition to his spell at Peterborough, Bergstrom has also represented his country. He made his debut in January 2023, ironically starting against Sweden in a friendly, only to see his side lose 2-0.

His new club earned a promotion to the Swedish top flight in 2022, achieving back-to-back promotions. They also achieved that under former Aston Villa manager Olof Mellberg between 2015 and 2017, but he left the club in 2018.

He has now been back for a full year and helped steer them to their 14th-place finish last season. That was only the third time the club had successfully avoided relegation from the top flight, and he’ll be hoping his dominant keeper helps them stay up this campaign, making it three in a row in the top flight for the first time in their history.

Site Opinion

Bergstrom has all the ingredients of a top play. He’s big, commands his area well, and has exposure to international football. At 21, he is young enough to learn and he’s likely to get plenty of chances with BP.

They’re also likely to be under pressure regularly – his new side were bottom four for xG against and shots faced last season. That might not be great for results, but it does give him lots of chances to show what he can do.