Massimiliano Allegri must have some squad available to him at Juventus following the January decision to part with Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski. Question marks may have been raised by some Tottenham fans at the time following Fabio Paratici's decision to raid his former club on deadline day, yet not one supporter is complaining now as both have been revelations in N17.
Immediately brought into Antonio Conte's XI and drastically improving the team, the duo played pivotal roles in Tottenham sealing qualification for the Champions League. Bentancur's experience and calm and composed displays saw the team's midfield hit a new level, with Kulusevski contributing with five goals and eight assists as he formed a fearsome front three alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
It does often take foreign players plenty of time to fully adapt to the Premier League, as Spurs know all too well with Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, but Bentancur and Kulusevski are clearly an exception to the rule. Wowing in their first four months in England, both should only become even better with the more games they play in the Premier League.
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It was no surprise to see that both were standout performers for Tottenham last weekend in the 4-1 triumph over Southampton. Kulusevski was the star of the show, teeing up Ryan Sessegnon's header and then grabbing a goal his performance deserved with a curling effort just after the hour mark.
The Sweden international just toyed with Southampton and they were in danger every time he received the ball. Displaying his incredible vision, impeccable touch and skill, Saints had no answer to him in the final third and he caused problems throughout.
Putting in a sublime ball for Sessegnon to score nine minutes after James Ward-Prowse had put the visitors ahead, he showed his passing qualities again after the break with a fine pass to set the left wing-back free. A humble player who will continue to put in the hard work on the training pitch and give 100 per cent day in, day out, the 22-year-old has the world at his feet and can go on to become one of the best players in the game.
Bentancur, on the other hand, may not have been in the headlines like Kulusevski but he most definitely deserved the plaudits after a brilliant performance in midfield. So composed on the ball and with some real quality to boot, the Uruguayan dictated play from the middle and kept the ball ticking over.
A real classy operator who never panics in possession, there was one example in the second half when Bentancur strolled out of his own penalty box with the ball when many would have looked to clear their lines. He is quite simply that good and a must for Conte in the middle of the park.
The best thing about Bentancur and Kulusevski from a Tottenham perspective is that Paratici got them for an absolute snip. The former was signed from Juventus for £15.8m, payable over three financial years, which may then increase by an additional £5m if certain objectives are met.
Kulusevski joined in an £8.3m loan deal, £2.5m of which was for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign and the following £5.8m for the duration of the current season. Juventus then confirmed that the Sweden international will become a Tottenham player on a permanent basis for €35 million (£29.2m) if certain criteria in the 2022/23 season are met or they can purchase for the aforementioned price if the objectives are not achieved.
A move for Kulusevski, including the loan fee, will cost £37.5m in total, with Bentancur costing £20.8m if all the additional add-ons are met. Both are already worth considerably more than that given their form at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the total fee of £58.3m for both may be a transfer investment Paratici finds extremely hard to beat.
In a world of inflated transfer fees with some players now sold for eye-watering prices, Tottenham have most definitely got value for money with the pair. Looking like incredible deals at present, they may be seen as complete bargains in the not too distant future when both go up another level or two.
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