Remember David Bentley? That’s a name that should take you back. Back in 2008, Bentley was one of the hottest names in English football after a hot streak at Blackburn Rovers that saw him score 8 goals and tally 13 assists in 2007-2008. He was considered one of the best young footballers in England, and in the summer of ‘08 Tottenham snapped him up for what was then a fairly astronomical fee of £15m.
Well, to say Bentley flamed out would be putting it mildly. He scored exactly two goals in three seasons (though to be fair one of them was this goal in a North London Derby that ended up 4-4 and that should cement his place in Spurs lore forever).
Bentley was sent out on loan for a few seasons, was released by Spurs in 2013, and eventually retired from football in 2014. Now he’s back — in a video posted on his personal Instagram, Bentley announced that he was just coming out of a meeting with Roberto De Zerbi and that he’s apparently been hired as Tottenham’s new “Positivity Coach” and Player Liason.
Now, I have no idea what a Positivity Coach is or does, but I imagine he’s being hired to touch base with players and make sure the vibes are in the proper alignment and in cohesion with the zodiac or something. Whatever. Doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s good when the club brings back former players in leadership roles, and while Bentley will probably never top the list of Spurs fans’ all time favorite players, he’s proper COYS through and through (despite being an Arsenal academy grad).
You can see in this video how excited he is to join the club in this new role and how much respect he has for Roberto De Zerbi as a manager. I’m all for it! Let Old Man Bentley be a Vibes Guy for the club, sounds good to me! He can hang out with Ledley and Michael Dawson and drink beers while reminiscing about the good old days, and then put his arms around the shoulders of guys like Pape Sarr and Archie Gray. Positivity Coach? Thumbs up from me.