All the talk last night and this morning appears to indicate that Bentley’s arrival at Spurs is imminent with a fee agreed and a the player expected to undergo a medical today.
Spurs have acted fast after the departure of Keane to Liverpool and have said to agreed a £15 million fee with Rovers for the midfielder.
It’s another big money move in a summer that’s stalled so far. In fantasy terms however, its another transfer that appears to offer limited potential to us managers.
Bentley enjoyed an impressive season for Rovers, contributing fantasy returns of 6 goals and 10 assists in 37 starts. The previous season he weighed in with similar stats – 4 goals and 10 assists in 36 starts. In the FPL his bonus haul was also significant across the two seasons, reaching 35 points last season having earned 23 points the season before. The question is, can Bentley maintain or better those kind of returns in a Spurs shirt?
It’s highly debatable. Bentley would certainly not be the fulcrum of the Spurs lineup in the same way he dominated creative play at Blackburn. At set-pieces for example he’d have to fight for priority over Modric, Bale and Jenas while Berbatov may even fancy the odd direct free-kick in range. At Rovers, Bentley mainly enjoyed a monopoly on these set-plays.
In terms of FPL bonus points Bentley would of course be sharing the pitch and victories with the likes of Modric, Giovanni and, at the moment, Berbatov – they are all likely to be FPL bonus darlings. Plus of course, there are the inevitable new signings that Ramos will look for in the next few weeks that would add to this cast of would-be bonus magnets. I can certainly see Bentley’s bonus points taking a 10-15 point hit this term.
That leaves us looking at his goals and assists. A return of 6 and 10 last season will take some beating. Spurs outscored Rover last season by 16 goals and should do again this term if Ramos can seal a new striking threat to compliment Berbatov and Bent. That said, Tottenham’s goals will come from all quarters and all areas of the pitch. Bentley will again be competing for goals alongside some hugely talented attacking players. Plus, certainly in the assist department, at Rovers he benefited from Santa Cruz’s ability to convert crosses. Right now, aside from Bent who is by no means a certain starter, Spurs don’t have a player who can similarly convert Bentley’s crossing ability into goals in such a frighteningly efficient manner.
For my money like Keane’s transfer to Liverpool, this is another big money move that promises a great deal but in reality will provide a limited boost, or even a slight hit on the player’s fantasy return.
Bentley is currently selected by 19% of FPL managers – that makes him the third most popular midfielder behind Gerrard and Fabregas. I find that somewhat surprising and it will be interesting to see how this move to Spurs will influence that in the next fortnight.
In contrast, 12% of Daily Telegraph managers have opted for him in their game with the likes of Modric, Young and a cheaper Bullard above him. For me, that seems like a more reasonable ranking and again, it will be worth monitoring how today’s events will affect that.
Other factors to consider here are the affects on his new team-mates and tactics at Spurs. The talk is that Lennon could well be kept at White Hart Lane after an encouraging pre-season. It’s suggested that he could be shifted to the left wing to accommodate Bentley. The significance of this is that Lennon would therefore offer an alternative to Bale in this position who is of course a potential target for those fantasy managers looking to exploit his attacking potential as a defender.
Over at Blackburn meanwhile, the talk is that Jermaine Pennant will be brought in to replace Bentley. Could the Liverpool man actually provide better value than Bentley in fantasy terms if this is the case?