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Tottenham’s £21m player has proved fans wrong and is now worthy of new contract talks

Jamie Brown

Sun 20 April 2025 18:15, UK

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s key players has taken a fair amount of flak from supporters this season, however, his recent displays prove why the club are ready to give him a new contract.

Tottenham Hotspur’s season could take a dramatic turn after they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League in the midst of what has been a terrible Premier League campaign.

The Spurs player in question played a key role in helping the Lilywhites reach the last four of the competition, and his performances across the two legs should be enough for talks to continue over his new deal.

Rodrigo Bentancur deserves a new Tottenham contract

That player is Rodrigo Bentancur. Tottenham have started contract talks with Bentancur, whose current deal runs until the summer of 2026.

Initially, fans were unhappy that Tottenham were offering Bentancur a new contract, with his displays this term proving to be rather underwhelming.

The 27-year-old has struggled with injuries over the last year or so, which has limited his ability to hit the heights that he did during the 2022/23 season.

But over recent weeks, his performances have picked up rather dramatically, and in the Europa League, he was excellent in the midfield alongside Lucas Bergvall.

Now, Bentancur, who’s been linked with Atletico Madrid, could be one of the first names on Ange Postecoglou’s team sheet in the Europa League semi-finals.

There will also be a strong sense that Spurs will want to avoid him entering the final year of his deal and risk losing such a top player for nothing in just over 12 months.

Rodrigo Bentancur bosses the midfield battle for Tottenham vs Frankfurt

Bentancur, who cost Tottenham £21m, produced his display of the season in Spurs’ 1-0 win away at Eintracht Frankfurt and was the heartbeat of a very mature performance from Postecoglou’s men.

The Lilywhites will need him to reach similar levels when they face Bodo/Glimt in the next round, who will be looking to cause a major upset in North London.