'Looking forward to learning from Antonio Conte,' says Bentancur after Tottenham move

Tottenham’s new signing Rodrigo Bentancur is “looking forward to learning from Antonio Conte” and believes he “will improve even more” under the Italian coach. The Uruguayan joined Tottenham from Juventus on a permanent transfer reportedly worth EUR 19 million in the January transfer window. The deal comes with a potential EUR 6 million add-ons for the Bianconeri. The 24-year-old was on international duty when Spurs completed his signing and released his first interview with Tottenham’s official website from Uruguay.

Dosto, let’s welcome Rodrigo Bentancur ?#COYS pic.twitter.com/mV5dzDlyTd

— Tottenham Hotspur (@Spurs_India) January 31, 2022

“It’s a great club with great players, always competing in all competitions,” he said.

“I was very happy when I heard about the interest in me and thankfully I’ve joined now.”

Along with Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski also made the switch to Spurs from Juve in January. Kulusevski joins Spurs on an 18-month loan deal with a EUR 35 million option to buy from the Serie A side.

Kulusevski was born in Stockholm and represents Sweden at the international level. He came through the Atalanta academy set-up after moving to Italy as a 16-year-old and later rose to limelight during his two loan spells with Parma, once from Atalanta and again after Paratici took him to Juventus in 2019.

Bentancur admits that one of the reasons he moved to Spurs was to work with Conte. “I am looking forward to learning from Antonio Conte,” the 24-year-old said.

“I think he’s a great coach, he wants to win and gets 150 per cent out of his players. I think he’ll make me improve even more, both mentally and as a player. I like that, and it’s a big motivation for me.”

Bentancur made his senior debut for Boca Juniors in 2015 after spending six years with their junior side. He joined Juve in 2017, making 133 appearances across all competitions during his time with the Serie A side.

The 24-year-old earned his first senior call up to the Uruguayan national side in September 2017 and made his debut that October during the 2018 World cup qualifiers. Spurs boss Conte was desperate to add more quality to his attacking line-up and both Kulusevski and Bentancur have proven their worth over the years and will certainly provide an extra dimension to Spurs’ attack.