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Football London
Football London
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Emma de Duve

What Rodrigo Bentancur did after completing Tottenham transfer may prove Fabio Paratici right

Rodrigo Bentancur scored a goal for Uruguay as they beat Venezuela 4-1 on Tuesday, in the midfielder's final game of the international break.

The new Tottenham man hasn't scored in over a year for his country but in the first game after he signed for the Lilywhites, he bagged a goal inside the first minute.

The 24-year-old signed a four-and-a-half year deal with Spurs, which keeps him in north London until 2026 and he was one of two deadline day signings, as his former Juventus teammate Dejan Kulusevski is also now a Tottenham player.

The midfielder has made 19 Serie A appearances for the Italian side so far this season, registering two assists and most often playing in a central midfield role.

Antonio Conte wanted a right wing-back, striker and central midfielder during the January transfer window and Bentancur ticks one of those off the list.

James Horncastle, Serie A correspondent for The Athletic explained the impact the midfielder could have on a Tottenham side.

"Rodrigo Bentancur is a ball winner in midfield, Juventus’ best presser of the ball, and a player who, when he’s had the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in front of him, is the one looking to cover and regain possession," he admitted.

"What impresses me about Bentancur is that Juventus signed him as a teenager, yet he was already starting for Boca Juniors, a massive club in Argentina, and there is a lot of pressure that comes with wearing that shirt.

"It’s not easy for young players from South America to come across to a new country, new culture, new language and play for such a competitive team as Juventus were when he arrived," Horncastle added.

"He gradually established himself as one of the most reliable and dependable players in that group, no mean feat."

Conte has spoken about having reliable players in his side before, which he admitted was one reason Harry Winks would remain at the club in the January window, despite rumours of his departure.

"I find players that are reliable, and then I can count on them and Winksy showed me that I can count on him," the Italian admitted.

Bentancur has also shown he is a player who can be relied on, which will only help his case in trying to impress his new boss.

The Uruguayan international then showed his talent for his country, when he smashed the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box on Tuesday night.

After the victory for his country, Uruguayan newspaper El Pais gave their verdict on his performance.

"He started the game with a great goal when they were just 50 seconds in," they explained (via The Boot Room). "In the rest, he played the ball judiciously and kept order.

"He was always the balance of the team and showed that he can perfectly be the rearmost midfielder in the absence of [Matias] Vecino and [Lucas] Torreira; At times he went out to break a little more."

Pierre Emile Hojbjerg is seen as one of Spurs' leaders in the middle of the field and has often played alongside Oliver Skipp so far this season.

However if Bentancur can add some more composure, balance and impact into the middle of the field for the Tottenham boss, he could be the Dane's new partner.

There were doubts from some fans over the midfielder's signing and although the ex-Juventus player hasn't scored a club goal all season and it is just one goal in over a year for his country, he clearly has some goalscoring ability and if anyone could look to improve that, it's Conte.

The Lilywhites need some more creativity and attacking flare in the middle of the field and if Bentancur can bring that to N17, it will show why he was targeted by Fabio Paratici.

The 24-year-old will now travel to the capital, settle into life in England playing with new teammates and under a new manager and hope to give Spurs some of the extra quality needed in the final months of the season.

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