Once a firm Mauricio Pochettino favourite, Nabil Bentlaeb fell so far out of favour that a summer exit became increasingly likely. Increasing competition for a role anywhere in Tottenham’s midfield saw a summer loan move to Schalke.
Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama, Moussa Sissoko and, coming through, Harry Winks all meant that midfield berths were hard to come by, whether that be in an attacking or defending sense.
Originally failing to turn around a struggling Schalke team, Bentaleb was hung out to dry by German newspaper Bild. The over the top criticism may well have concerned Tottenham and Pochettino but the youngster came through and is now one of Schalke’s best players.
Starting the Europa League match against Nice, the 22 year old had to come off with a suspected broken nose, report Der Westen. Painful, but not a serious injury that’s going to keep the footballer out for too long and hinder his continued Bundesliga progress.
Schalke can purchase Bentaleb for around €20m according to the German media, the figure changes slightly from report to report, and his recent form had made that look a snip.
Bentaleb will no doubt have a mask made for him and be back on the field almost immediately. The return can then feed into his growing hero status among Schalke fans, and Tottenham can expect their big chunk of transfer cash next summer.
