Tottenham’s Ben Davies signs new contract through 2021

At the beginning of Tottenham Hotspur’s 2016-17 season, I don’t think many Spurs fans would’ve expected to see very much of Ben Davies on the pitch. Since the injury to Danny Rose, Davies has been thrust into the role as Spurs’ starting left back and has played pretty well.

Now, he’s been rewarded. Tottenham announced via social media today that Davies has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club through the 2021 season.

So there were rumors about this deal floating around a couple of weeks ago, but we didn’t write on them because the originating source is the Sun, which has essentially a blanket ban on Cartilage Free Captain for being dumb. But this time it looks like they were accurate. Score one for the Sun, I guess.

Last season, Davies was primarily used as a rotation option, starting as one of the B-fullback pairing and usually lining up across from Kieran Trippier. This year, the injury to Rose has put him squarely in the spotlight.

As we’ve repeatedly said, Ben Davies isn’t Danny Rose. He’s a little bit slower, a little more defensive, a little less likely to put in a killer cross from the left flank. Spurs don’t – and in all likelihood can’t – play in the same way with Ben on the left as they do with Danny.

There’s bound to be some sort of drop-off whoever you play in place of Danny Rose, and Davies has certainly had his share of scary games and moments this season. He’s a perfectly cromulent left back, however, and it’d be a bit hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve a reward for the work he’s put in this season.

The only big concern up to now had been the risk of Ben’s legs falling off due to the sheer number of matches. With Spurs now only competing in the FA Cup and Premier League, that concern has somewhat dissipated.

While we all long for Danny Rose’s triumphant return to the first team, Davies is a solid player and has earned this new deal. Congratulations, Ben!