Alan Hutton has claimed that Tottenham may have finally replaced Mousa Dembele with their acquisition of Rodrigo Bentancur in January.
It is fair to say that the signing of Bentancur from Juventus did not particularly excite the Spurs fan base, particularly after the North London club lost out to Barcelona and Liverpool in the race for Adama Traore and Luis Diaz respectively (The Athletic).
However, Bentancur has not taken much time to win the Tottenham faithful over, quickly establishing himself as a starter in Antonio Conte’s midfield.
The Uruguayan put in another composed performance in the middle of the park alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on his return to the starting lineup against Everton on Monday.
Spurs fans will be hoping the 24-year-old continues to build on the solid start to his Tottenham career and Hutton certainly expects big things from the former Juve man, comparing his ability to retain the ball to Dembele’s.
The former Tottenham right-back insisted that the new Spurs recruit offers a lot more in possession than the other midfield options available to Conte.
When asked about Bentancur’s impact, he told Football Insider: “He is different from the other midfielders that they’ve got like Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Harry Winks.
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“Don’t get me wrong, he likes to get in and about it and tackle but then with that, he’s very composed and good technically with his feet so can get out of tight situations.
“He can then pass the ball forward which I think is something Tottenham miss when it’s Hojbjerg and Winks. As comfortable as they are, they’re not going to penetrate that much with a pass.
“He’s looking like an excellent addition in the transfer window, as well as Kulesevski who has brought something different.
“These are the types of signings Conte wants in and he probably wants more and will be looking to freshen things up again in the summer window. They let four go but the two that have come in have done very well.
“You can see similarities between Bentancur and Moussa Dembele. He’s only just come into the team so it will take time for him to come into his own but he might be able to get there.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I do not think Bentancur is stylistically similar to Dembele but the Uruguayan does not seem to have an obvious weakness. He seems much more well-rounded than the likes of Skipp, Hojbjerg and Winks.
Not only does he read the game well and have the ability to win the ball back but the 24-year-old has also shown himself to be quite adept in retaining the ball in tight areas and seems to possess a decent passing range.
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