Bentley enjoys immediate Spurs impact

By: Gary | August 2nd, 2008

David Bentley has vowed to light up White Hart Lane just like his boyhood hero Paul Gascoigne.

And just two days into his Tottenham career we have already been handed a sneak preview of the ability our new signing has to carry the torch of our progression under Juande Ramos.

His words in the press have been refreshing. The 23 year-old speaks with passion about returning “home” to Spurs, the club he grew up near and who his best mates fanatically support.

He has banished any of his Arsenal roots claiming he cannot wait to grace the turf in his first ever north London derby on October 29 when he dreams of scoring the winner at the Emirates.

His ambitions do not stop there either. Bentley says Spurs can achieve anything the players set their mind to – in reference to gate crashing the Premier League’s domineering top four.

But maybe the most exciting prospect of Bentley’s arrival is his intention live up to his big money price tag and entertain us in the same way as Gazza. He has vowed to dazzle for a club he says has “a place in his heart”.

So Bentley passed the first test with flying colours revving up the engine ahead of a new season and increasing optimism just days after it threatened to come crashing down with the departure of Robbie Keane.

But as has been proved so many times in the past words are cheap and it is ultimately performances on the pitch rather than promises in the media centre which will determine his success.

And Bentley didn’t do too badly in that department either. The right winger took no time at all in opening his Spurs account, scoring in only his first 45 minutes for the club, in last night’s 2-0 win over Celtic in the Jubilee Trophy.

It may have been a tap in but the England hopeful offered much more on an encouraging Spurs debut. His ability to deliver consistent quality balls in and the around penalty shone through even in the infancy of his Tottenham career, and we can expect much more of the same from the hungry wide man as the season gets underway.

All in all, you can be none other than pleased with the addition of Bentley to our ranks this week. His signing ticks all the boxes with only a question mark hanging over the ‘value for money’ column.

Maybe we have paid slightly over the odds for our new man but we can thank Arsenal’s 40% sell on clause for that atrocity.

To be quite honest I couldn’t care how much we paid for Bentley this summer if he proves to be a success on the pitch. If he can provide us with the lack of with and delivery into the box we have been missing over the past few seasons, it will be money well spent.

Bentley may also be the answer to getting the best from his main competitor for a starting spot, Aaron Lennon.

The former Leeds man has flattered to deceive in recent months but the arrival of a possible successor to his throne on the right side of the Spurs midfield may yet produce the finest form of his young career.

This is not all Bentley can add. If he can take us to the next level, score the winner against Arsenal and fill the void as the club’s next Gazza, who cares if we paid £15 million for the pleasure.

By the winger’s own admission, he has a heck of a lot to prove next season but there is all the evidence to suggest he has the bit between the teeth to be a hit at White Hart Lane.

Forget the past, you are Spurs now. Let’s see what you’re made of…