It's been a rather dismal season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
Ange Postecoglou's side would have come into the Premier League campaign hoping to do one better than last time and qualify for the Champions League, but as things stand, they find themselves all the way down in 11th place with more losses than wins to their name.
Now, the North Londoners have had to deal with several significant injuries and suspensions that have made life difficult, but even so, the team has been seriously below par.
Moreover, some of the stars of the first team, like Son Heung-min, Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur, have been particularly poor, and based on recent reports, the club could soon sign the latter's replacement.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from Spain via Sport Witness, Tottenham are 'really interested' in Real Betis star Johnny Cardoso.
Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has revealed that AC Milan, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are keen on the American international, who's been in fine form this season.
While interest from such European giants isn't ideal, the North Londoners have an advantage they don't. When selling Giovani Lo Celso to Betis in the summer, they negotiated an option on the 23-year-old worth €30m - £25m - which will become active in June.
Should the other interested parties start a bidding war, it could still prove to be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but as things stand, Cardoso looks likely to join Spurs in the summer, which is great news for the team but could be very bad news for Bentancur.
How Bentancur compares to Cardoso
So, if Spurs decide to act upon their action to sign Cardoso next year, they'll likely do so with the intention of giving him plenty of game time to prove himself next season.
However, given his preference for playing in central and defensive midfield, this would undoubtedly put him in competition with Bentancur for a starting berth, so who comes out on top when we compare the pair?
Well, given where they play, raw output is not a significant concern, and given that they have both produced two-goal involvements this season, there isn't much to differentiate them there anyway.
Instead, the best way to understand which one might have an advantage is to look under the hood, at their underlying numbers, and when we do that, things start to look good for the American "ball-winner," as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson.
For example, while he comes out second best in some offensive metrics, he comes out on top in most, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, key passes, successful take-ons and goal-creating actions, all per 90.
Moreover, and potentially more important given the teams' performances this year, the "extraordinary" 23-year-old, as dubbed by Betis director Manu Fajardo, has far better defensive numbers.
For example, he comes out ahead in metrics such as tackles, won, blocks, interceptions and clearances, all per 90.
Lastly, on top of all of the above, he's also considerably younger than the former Juventus ace and could, therefore, be moulded into a key component of Postecoglou's long-term plans in a way Bentancur could not.
Ultimately, Cardoso may not be a household name among English football fans at the moment, but he looks like he could be in a few years.
Therefore, Spurs must make sure they take advantage of their option next year, as plenty of other teams are keen to sign the American in their stead.