Thomas Frank has spoken publicly for the first time over Rodrigo Bentancur’s future at the club as new contract talks continue to be discussed, while TEAMtalk analyses why the Uruguay star should be concerned if he does commit to stay in north London.
Spurs had a productive summer window as they splashed out more than £170m on fresh additions for Thomas Frank’s squad, although they also said goodbye to legendary forward Son Heung-min with just one year left on his contract.
And now another player who has just a year remaining on his current deal is the focus of attention, in the shape of Bentancur.
Tottenham are said to have opened preliminary talks with the 28-year-old back in February, but those discussions appeared to stall for some time.
However, fresh reports now claim that Tottenham are accelerating contract talks again, as they grow concerned over the former Juventus man potentially walking away for nothing in 2026.
Indeed, new boss Frank addressed such speculation by making clear his stance on the midfielder after a bright start to his tenure in north London.
Speaking prior to Saturday’s fine win at London rivals West Ham, Frank said of Bentancur: “I think first and foremost, I am very happy with Rodri. He has been a very good player for us, a top professional in every aspect.
“I am happy with him, he is happy with being here. I know that for a fact. Let us see what is going to happen in the future.”
Bentancur was dropped down to the bench for the victory at The London Stadium, although that was more to do with him being away on international duty during the week and Frank wanting fresh legs in his starting XI.
He will, however, be back in contention for the Champions League home opener against Villarreal on Tuesday evening.
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Why Tottenham should think of moving on from Bentancur
At his peak, before his ACL injury, Bentancur was Tottenham’s best central midfield player. A box-to-box menace capable of controlling games and not afraid to put in the hard yards.
However, it’s been a real struggle for Bentancur to get back to anywhere near those levels – only showing flashes of the player of old.
At 28, Spurs would likely be looking to commit to a new three or even four-year deal for a player who has not been a consistent performer since February 2023, when he suffered that serious knee injury against Leicester.
The loan signing of Joao Palhinha, which will almost certainly be made permanent, and the sheer potential of Archie Gray means the defensive midfield position that Bentancur has occupied at times is probably no longer an option.
Further forward, Frank wants pace, energy and high pressing, all of which are not particular traits that Bentancur possesses.
Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall had that in abundance at The London Stadium and are just 23 and 19 years of age respectively.
Come the middle of the season, Bentancur could easily find himself on the bench more often than not, unless he can take his game back to the levels of before the ACL issue.
With that in mind, it must be considered a gamble for Tottenham to tie Bentancur down to a new deal and likely make him one of the top earners at the club.
A good player – yes. But the future of Tottenham’s midfield is very bright and Bentancur might not end up being a part of it.
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