Jermaine Jenas reveals he advised Tottenham flop not to join the club
Jermaine Jenas has revealed that one of his former Tottenham teammates ignored his advice not to sign for the club, only to regret the move in light of his struggles in his first season at Spurs.
There have been some high-profile transfer flops for Tottenham during the Premier League era, with the Tanguy Ndombele deal perhaps standing out because of the huge fee that the North London club paid for the Frenchman.
However, it can be argued that the player who underperformed the most of any of the club’s signings over recent decades is David Bentley.
The midfielder arrived at White Hart Lane after a couple of outstanding seasons at Blackburn Rovers and was widely considered one of the best in his position across the Premier League, with many seeing him as a natural heir to David Beckham for England.
Jermaine Jenas reveals why he told David Bentley not to join Tottenham
However, things never worked out for Bentley from the day he set foot at Spurs in the summer of 2028, with the wide-man going from one of the most highly rated players in England to a cautionary tale of how badly things can go wrong for young players.
After struggling to get game time at Tottenham and failing to make an impression out on loan, the winger hung up his boots aged just 28.
Jenas has now revealed that he told the former Spurs man not to come to the club, given that Aaron Lennon was already in the side.
Jeans said on Filthy Fellas about Bentley’s move to North London: “I actually told him not to sign for Tottenham, and I loved him.
“When he was at Blackburn, he had one of his best years, and me and him were both signed for Puma at the time, so we used to have to go and do campaigns together. And on this campaign, he’s like, oh, I think I’m coming to Spurs.
“And I was like, don’t do it. And he was like, ‘why?’ I said, ‘you’re not going to play’. I said, ‘we’ve got Aaron Lennon on the right wing, and our game is speed’, do you know what I mean? Our game is like, fly down that wing and score goals. And I don’t see it working, Bents.
“And he was like, no, no, I’ll get in, I’ll get in. Anyway, he arrived, and Aaron’s like, mate, you’re not taking this spot. It’s as simple as that.”
Bentley admits he lost his love for the game at Spurs
Speaking about his ordeal a few years ago, Bentley admitted that he lost his love for the game due to his struggles at Tottenham.
He explained that he wanted to make the move to Spurs to boost his England prospects but revealed that he found it difficult to cope with the high-pressure environment, having been used to a family feel at Ewood Park.
The worry for Tottenham Hotspur fans is that Dele Alli’s career could go a similar way, but it seems like the attacking midfielder is determined to enjoy his football again as he looks to rebuild his career away from the spotlight at Como.
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