Frank ‘ready to replace Bentancur at Tottenham’ amid £25m transfer news
Thomas Frank’s arrival could spell the end for Rodrigo Bentancur at Tottenham.
Frank is expected to take over at Tottenham after an agreement was struck to bring his assistant coach Justin Cochrane with him to North London.
As a result, the Dane will already be thinking about which players he wants at Tottenham, and recent transfer news could spell the end for Bentancur.
Tottenham consider a move for Yehor Yarmolyuk
Yehor Yarmolyuk could follow Frank to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer after a strong season in the Premier League.
Yarmolyuk started the season on the bench but became a consistent starter for the Bees during the closing stages of the season.
| Players | Appearances | Yellow Cards | Minutes |
| Yegor Yarmolyuk | 35 | 6 | 1.443 |
| Rodrigo Bentancur | 44 | 14 | 2.976′ |
As reported by CaughtOffside (11 June), Tottenham have been closely tracking the 21-year-old, but have yet to make a formal approach.
Brentford have set a price tag of around £25million for Yarmolyuk, who has a long-term contract with the Bees until 2031. Tottenham will need to act quickly as Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and five other Premier League clubs are also tracking the midfielder.
However, Tottenham could be handed a boost in the race for the Ukrainian if they appoint Frank.
If the transfer were to accelerate once Frank comes in, it could signal that the Dane is ready to replace Bentancur, who has been linked with a Spurs exit this summer.
Tottenham should move for Yarmolyuk and keep Bentancur
At first glance, Yarmolyuk and Bentancur are similar players.
The Brentford youngster acts as a roaming playmaker and works best when given the licence to freely operate in the midfield. He is a good passer, dribbler and has excellent mobility.
Like Bentancur, he is known for his ability to drop deep to pick up the ball in order to participate in the build-up phase and create for his teammates.
However, it is the Ukrainian’s versatility which makes it possible to field both him and Bentancur on the same pitch. While they both have similar roles in the build-up, Bentancur mostly operates as a defensive midfielder, while Yarmolyuk finds most success in the centre or behind the striker.
A successful team with both these players would see Bentancur drop deeper into the midfield when Yarmolyuk is fielded in an advanced midfield position and closer to the centre-forward.