It wouldn't be hyperbolic to say that Tottenham Hotspur's season is going off the rails, and fast.
Thomas Frank's side look a million miles from the one that made a positive start back in August, and following their loss to Fulham on Saturday night, sit tenth in the Premier League.
The North Londoners have become utterly toothless in attack and porous at the back, and they are showing no signs of improving.
Fortunately, reports are now linking Spurs with a player who might be able to help improve the side in both halves of the pitch, someone who'd be a significant upgrade on the increasingly disappointing Rodrigo Bentancur.
Spurs target Bentancur upgrade
While he is far from the only one, Bentancur has been seriously disappointing for Spurs this season, and a million miles from the player fans were excited to watch every week a few years ago.
For example, in the club's recent derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal, he looked completely off the pace.
For the first game, respected Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded him a rather generous 5/10 match rating. Then, for the latter, he awarded him a 3/10 rating for his inability to gain a foothold in the game.
In short, if it wasn't already clear last year, this season has made it clear that the Lilywhites need a new midfielder who can help the defence, but also has the power to lend a hand to the attack at times.
Fortunately, it would appear that the club are well aware of this and are looking at a Premier League star who could do just that.
At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Spurs are now interested in Carlos Baleba.
In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the North Londoners have now entered the race for the Brighton & Hove Albion star, who is also a key target for Manchester United.
However, on top of the potential competition, the Cameroonian's price tag could be a hurdle, with the report stating that the Seagulls still value him at €100m, which is about £88m.
Yet, even though this would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, Baleba's ability and potential make it one Spurs should pursue, especially as he'd be a huge upgrade on Bentancur.
How Baleba compares to Bentancur
Now, the first thing to say is that, yes, so far this season, Baleba's form has dropped somewhat.
However, that could be due in part to the transfer saga he went through in the summer, the inconsistent form of Brighton overall, or the simple fact that he is still just 21 years old.
However, even so, the Cameroon international was sensational last season, and a slight dip in form does not take away from the fact that when he is on song, he is incredible to watch.
Moreover, when comparing his underlying numbers to Bentancur's from last season, even though he is so much younger, he still comes out ahead in most metrics.
For example, when it comes to the attacking side of the game, the Douala-born gem does better in metrics like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, key passes, successful take-ons, carries into the final third and more, all per 90.
Impressively, despite tending to start a little deeper than the Uruguayan, the Seagulls star also ranked incredibly closely for goal-creating actions.
Unsurprisingly, he also blows the 28-year-old away when it comes to the defensive side of things, winning more tackles, making more blocks, recovering the ball more often and winning more of his aerial duels, despite being shorter.
With numbers such as these, it's not hard to see why respected analyst Ben Mattinson described the former LOSC Lille star as "one of the best midfielders in the league" last year.
Finally, on top of clearly outperforming the Lilywhites midfielder when it comes to underlying numbers, another reason Baleba would be an excellent upgrade is that he's happy playing in central or defensive midfield.
Therefore, he'd be a perfect option for a double pivot, as he could interchange with someone like Lucas Bergvall and, in turn, make life for opposition midfielders far harder.
Ultimately, while it would be an expensive transfer to get over the line, Spurs should do what they can to bring the Brighton ace to N17, as he'd be an excellent addition to the team and an instant upgrade on Bentancur.