Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has revealed he did not expect to join the club in the January transfer window but is happy to now be working under Antonio Conte.
Bentancur arrived at Spurs as part of a double swoop on Juventus late in the window, with him and teammate Dejan Kulusevski both arriving from the Italian giants.
Unlike the Swedish international, Bentancur has signed for Tottenham on a permanent deal, with Fabio Paratici signing off on a £17.1m deal once he had shipped out the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele.
He arrives as a much-needed reinforcement for a Spurs midfield that has struggled to impress, particularly under Conte, who has regularly called for signings since arriving as Tottenham manager.
Bentancur is a player he will know well from his time working Italy, although this is the first time they have worked together.
And it’s something the Uruguayan star is happy has happened, even if he does admit he didn’t see his move to Tottenham taking place.
“Conte similar to Allegri? Yes, because they both have victory in mind,” Gianluca di Marzio reports him saying to Sky Italia.
“Conte, as we saw with City, lives football in an incredible way and transmits it to the players: I’m happy to be here with him.
“What are the differences between Serie A and the Premier League? Without a doubt, the speed, the contrasts, the strength: here, the referees don’t whistle as much, and you play much more.
“I’m doing quite well, but I still have a lot to do. I didn’t expect to move in January, I found out in the national team, and I was very surprised and happy.
“Personal goal? To improve every day, to give my best, and to help my teammates to get this team into the top four, into the Champions League.”
