Where has our Bentley gone?

With the season entering November, David Bentley has had just one Carling Cup appearance in which to persuade Harry Redknapp he's worth a place in the Spurs first team. Bentley can't afford to have another season playing reserve team football and if things don't improve on the field, maybe our midfielder will be on his way out of White Hart Lane in January.

We know that Bentley's got talent, and we all know that the the lad has some temperament issues that have put him in the papers for all the wrong reasons in the past. Last season, Bentley was accused by Harry for showing a lazy attitude in training, contributing to his lack of first team action.

Bentley missed out to Aaron Lennon for the role on the right side of midfield for much of last term and this season looks set to be a similar story, and the Betfair rumour mill suggests he could be moving on soon.

On his day Bentley can be a match winner and when given a run in the first team he has the ability to change a match. He showed that during his three years at Ewood Park, where Mark Hughes brought out the best in the precocious talent.

If Harry does decide to sell Bentley in January then there is sure to be a host of clubs interested in the player. Transfer rumours suggest Fulham have been monitoring the situation since last season and may decide to make an offer in the New Year.

Some see it a shame for us Spurs fans to lose Bentley after never really seeing the best of him? I don't view it like that. If a player isn't willing to give his all, he knows where the door is. There is enough talent in our squad to cover his departure. Aaron Lennon has started to produce the form he showed in the early parts of last season and behind him are the likes of Niko Kranjčar (who needs a game or three) and Giovani dos Santos, who could and has played on the right.

Spurs must keep in mind Bentley's knack of coming back to haunt his old clubs. Arsenal fans can vouch for that after seeing the midfielder score a 45-yard half-volley in the 4-4 draw two years ago. If he does move, Bentley would love nothing more than to prove Redknapp wrong. David would be forgetting that you can't technically prove your former manager wrong by performing well for another club.

---

Subscribe to THBN

Read our latest Evening Standard Blog

Have you got an iPod or mp3 player? If you love listening to audiobooks, click here....

Big Chiv: My Goals in Life - Get it now!