When Tottenham Hotspur sent Nabil Bentaleb on loan to Schalke they probably didn’t think his period at the club would be quite so eventful.
Mauricio Pochettino was happy with the options he had, with Dele Alli in a more attacking role, Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen both with attacking privileges from behind the frontline, there was little room for Bentaleb in that respect.
For the options further back in a more battling role there’s Eric Dier, and the purchase of Victor Wanyama won’t have helped, not to mention Moussa Sissoko getting in where he can.
Pochettino’s decisions had squeezed Bentaleb out of the Tottenham picture. Arriving at Schalke with huge fanfare, and expectations placed upon him that were unrealistic, Bentaleb quickly came under huge criticism as the club’s dreadful start saw them rock bottom of the league.
Dubbed a ‘Schalke Slacker’, Bentaleb had his ability, attitude, and character question. The overly harsh treatment of certain Schalke players in the German media looked to have obviously been inspired by someone at the club, and there was reason for Tottenham to be concerned.
However, Bentaleb just got on with things and turned the situation around, so much so that Kicker report he may choose to leave Schalke if things don’t improve.
Tottenham agreed a €19m transfer fee in the loan deal, which Schalke can trigger, but they can’t do that without the player agreeing.
Schalke are currently 11th in the Bundesliga, and Kicker believe Bentaleb could choose to walk away if they don’t qualify for Europe.
In that scenario, the 22 year old would be heading back to White Hart Lane, with a Tottenham contract until 2020. There’s a chance Pochettino may have been won over by Bentaleb’s attitude and application this season, and could provide room at Tottenham for the player.
If Bentaleb decides against a Schalke stay, and Pochettino isn’t keen, then Tottenham may well be able to make more on the open market.
