Tottenham Hotspur overhauled the midfield in the summer transfer window with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, doing something they have never done in their history by spending 185 million pounds on these talents to ensure that Manchester City, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Manchester United would not be able to touch either of them.
That Roberto De Zerbi viewed these two defensive midfielders as such high priorities for Spurs that he had to get them at all costs did not exactly reflect well on the existing midfielders. Joao Palhinha, of course, now heads back to Bayern Munich without his option to buy activated for 25-30 million euros, but the current defensive midfielder who has to be feeling the most heat is Rodrigo Bentancur.
Tottenham fans had already soured on the former Juventus flop and Fabio Paratici pet pick after his terrible start to the 2025/26 season. Even Thomas Frank, who usually hated playing the young guys, had no choice but to bring in Archie Gray, who was ten times better than Benta.
Roberto De Zerbi has other plans
Although Roberto De Zerbi turned back to Bentancur at the end of the season, he only did so because of an ethos to have the older players in the matches for the Premier League relegation battle. The move to Bentancur did work out, and he did step up big time, but Spurs fans have remained uimpressed with the Uruguayan internation as a long term option.
Rodrigo Bentancur will not be a starter by any means with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali immediately slotting into the XI at 185 million pounds. Even at their worst, they are still better than Bentancur in midfield even when the latter is at his best.
There is no space for him now, and De Zerbi and Tottenham moving for those guys at the price points they did emphasizes just how badly Spurs needed to upgrade off him. And behind Bentancur, there is Archie Gray again, whom the supporters voted as the Tottenham Player of the Season. Gray did not start in the end of the campaign, but De Zerbi still praised him highly; everyone knows that Bentancur is not going to stand in the way of his future.
While Bentancur may not be sold this summer transfer window, he has fallen in the depth chart, and Tottenham Hotspur have made it clear that he is not central to their plans and is someone De Zerbi viewed as a necessity to get out of the starting lineup for the long term sporting project. His career is now as a crossroads, but that is how it should have been earlier if Spurs operated like a serious club under Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy.
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