Of all the signings Spurs made in recent years, there are not many players who’ve made as much of an impact as Rodrigo Bentancur has. The 25-year-old midfielder just signed from Juventus in January 2022 but it feels almost as if the Uruguayan has been at the North London club for ages. Bentancur has almost always been the first name in Antonio’s starting XI. The below visualisation shows how Rodrigo Bentancur has fared this season when compared with midfielders from Europe’s top-five leagues.

Rodrigo Bentancur has played in a two-man midfield and in a three-man midfield as well for Spurs this season. His role has involved providing the necessary protection for the defence and acting as a box-to-box midfielder at times too. His goalscoring numbers are at a career-best at this rate — scoring four goals in the league (his highest ever league tally) — ranking 94th percentile for goals per 90 minutes this season. Bentancur has played an important role in the build-up of Spurs’ attacks, hence ranks above average for almost all passing metrics. Bentancur brings energy to this Spurs midfield and complements his midfield partners very well. His defensive numbers show that he plays an all-round role at Spurs that not a lot of midfielders in Europe are capable of.

Rodrigo Bentancur struggled to create an impact during the 2021/22 season at Juventus. Spurs saw an opportunity and brought him for a decent amount. Bentancur has not taken a lot of time to settle into the North London club. He has brought the much-needed experience and variety to this Spurs team who now have a manager to take them to the next level. It remains to be seen if they can actually reach that level but if they do eventually manage it, it wouldn’t be without the help of the Uruguayan.