Why Tottenham are seeking to sign Bentancur before Monday's deadline

 

Just when it seemed Aston Villa would win the race to sign Rodrigo Bentancur, the Villans were unable to agree a fee with Juventus for the Uruguayan. A failure to strike a deal with the Old Lady has allowed Tottenham to steal a march on Villa in the race to land Bentancur. 

 

Given Spurs have been trumped in their quest to sign Adama Traore and Luis Diaz in recent days, it feels a welcome reprieve for the side to trump a rival in their bid to strengthen. A new central midfielder has been a priority for Spurs this month and while Sofyan Amrabat emerged as a potential target last week, attention has turned to Bentancur. 

 

WhoScored's own Martin Laurence took a closer look at Bentancur last week, comparing the 24-year-old to Villa's own options in the middle of the park, whereas this will be more of a general outlook on the midfielder's qualities and what he will bring to Spurs. 

 

Bentancur has attracted his fair share of critics among the Juventus fanbase, yet that is largely due to the player operating in a midfield pair in a 4-4-2 setup. It's no coincidence that his best rated league season - 7.10 in 2019/20 - came when the Old Lady regularly operated with a three-man midfield, be it in a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-1-2. 

 

In this system, Bentancur was able to maximise the attacking side to his game, registering more assists (7) than any other Juventus player, while 1.8 key passes per 90 was the fifth best of all players for the Serie A side, and his best in a Serie A campaign. Freed of needing to carry out the necessary defensive duties that came with playing in a midfield pairing, Bentancur got forward well to support the attack. 

 

 

It wasn't just the creative side to Bentancur's game that blossomed, but he was free to support the offensive with great regularity. 1.5 successful dribbles per 90 is, like with Bentancur's chances created, his best in a Serie A season as the Uruguay international thrives in a three-man midfield system. 

 

That isn't to say Bentancur won't work hard off the ball for the good of the team. 2.5 tackles and 2 interceptions per 90 both rank among the top 15 players in Italy's top tier this term, so he is more than capable at winning possession for his team and then getting the ball forward and creating for others. This is a quality to the Spurs midfield that has been found wanting this season particularly with Antonio Conte implementing a three-man backline in a 3-4-3 formation.

 

However, an issue has been that Conte has elected to use a pairing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp. The first choice duo have their strengths, but a failure to get the ball forward with great regularity has been Spurs' undoing this season. This forces Harry Kane to drop deeper and in turn, Spurs are, to an extent, robbed of their primary goalscoring threat. 

 

In addition, Spurs have looked a far more effective side in a 3-5-2 setup with Harry Winks progressing the ball forward effectively. In Bentancur, though, Spurs would have a driving force from midfield in the system that works best with the players at Conte's disposal. That it has taken until the dying embers of the transfer window for Spurs to firm up a move for a central midfielder has frustrated supporters, yet Bentancur would afford a progressive style of play from the middle of the park that the north London side have lacked this season.

Why Tottenham are seeking to sign Bentancur before Monday's deadline