Lately, there has been a lot of praise for Tottenham Hotspur center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, as the Lilywhites have been without a defeat since the Uruguayan international's quiet return to the starting lineup after tearing his hamstring in the winter.
While Bentancur was actually one of the antagonists for Spurs in the first half of the campaign, epitomizing the deterioration of Tottenham under Thomas Frank into the most cowardly football in the English Premiership, he has emerged in shining armor under Roberto De Zerbi, even in the place of young Archie Gray.
But it is not a great thing that Bentancur has suddenly become so important to Tottenham and so above the others. Taking nothing away from the player himself, who was exceptional in blanketing an awful Wolves side last weekend in a 1-0 victory, but if Bentancur is the best midfielder of experience that Spurs have in terms of controlling a game, then this team is really in big trouble long term.
Tottenham have serious questions to answer in midfield
Tottenham Hotspur may be able to save themselves from relegation, which still seems bleak at this point, but rebuilding this club back into an annual team in European football is going to be tall task for Roberto De Zerbi and - wistful thinking here- the next leadership group that takes over from Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange.
Bentancur is a decent footballer, but he profiles as more of a rotational piece for a Premier League club with aspirations of hanging around in the top seven. Right now, he is indispensible to Tottenham and one of the driving forces of their survival bid under De Zerbi, which is, among many things, an indictment of how far Spurs have left the standard of quality slip at the N17 in the last few years.
It is all coming home to roost for Tottenham in 2026, and whlie the appreciation for Rodrigo Bentancur is merited, especially in the context of a player saving his own poor season and coming back from a brutal injury, the broader discussions about Tottenham as a whole are far less rosy.
There is going to be a lot of work that needs to be done this summer transfer window, and it is the sort of yeoman's work that has been needed for quite some time and not done. In the meantime, Bentancur will need to keep playing at this level, because, well, Spurs hopes of the Premier League are totally shot otherwise.