Tottenham Hotspur have opened talks with Rodrigo Bentancur over a new deal
Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a productive January transfer window, making three crucial signings. Following a troubled season where Ange Postecoglou and Co. lie in the bottom half of the Premier League table, the Hotspur Way chiefs have started putting plans in place for the summer transfer window.
In addition to bringing in new faces to the squad, the Spurs bosses also have to sort out the contractual situation of some players entering the final year of their contracts this summer. And they have reportedly opened contract talks with Rodrigo Bentancur over a new deal at the start of this week.
The North Londoners view the Uruguayan international as a key player in Ange Postecoglou’s squad and want to secure his future at the club. Rodrigo Bentancur is into the final 16 months of his contract, so Tottenham are planning to squash the rumours surrounding his future by handing him new terms.
Like Bentancur, Yves Bissouma is also set to enter the final year of his contract at White Hart Lane (Transfermarkt). However, speaking on the Last Word On Spurs podcast, Tottenham fan and Change For Spurs podcaster Billie T suggested the Mali international should be sold in the summer for Bentancur’s potential new deal to make sense.
“If he’s [Bentancur] signing a new contract now, I’m not really sure what we’re rewarding him for. I think he’s been largely inconsistent and unreliable this season. He’s had discipline issues, he’s been suspended and had significant injury issues over the last few seasons so he’s not someone we can rely on,” Billie T told on the Last Word On Spurs podcast.
“When he’s on form he’s fantastic but how often do we see that? Historically, we’ve had real trouble shifting players who aren’t good enough and I’m not saying he’s necessarily not good enough but it is a concern with our history that we keep average players for too long.
“If Bentancur’s going to stay I think a number of things need to happen. We do need to sell Bissouma, without a doubt, we can’t keep too many of these players who aren’t good enough.
“We need to upgrade, I think Bentancur would be an excellent squad player but if we have aspirations of improving and winning trophies, we need better than Bentancur in the starting 11.”
It is true that Yves Bissouma has failed to live up to the lofty expectations at Tottenham since arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2022. The African midfielder has struggled to impose himself and cement a spot in Postecoglou’s side amid an injury-ravaged season, clocking just 12 Premier League starts.
At 28 and set to enter the final year of his deal, it would make total sense for Tottenham to consider cashing in Bissouma and replacing him with a younger talent, especially if Bentancur is handed a new contract. Bentancur’s Spurs career has been ravaged by unfortunate injury problems and inconsistency, and this season also saw him serve a seven-game ban for off-field matters. These are the mitigating factors to have restricted the South American from fulfilling his vast potential at N17.
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Nonetheless, when compared, Bentancur is better technically and tactically than Bissouma whilst being a decent fit in Big Ange’s system. So, Spurs would do well to keep the Uruguayan star but that would only make some sense if they offload the error-prone Bissouma and replace him with a tenacious ball-winner ahead of the 2025/26 season.
