According to a recent report by Chronicle Live, Premier League outfit Newcastle United are said to be keen on keeping Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb at St. James’ Park past the end of his current loan spell, and that a price in the region of £8.5m is being quoted by his German employers. The report suggests that Magpies’ manager Steve Bruce has been impressed with the former Tottenham man’s exploits since his move across the channel in January.
It has been suggested that the manager is aware of the fact that the midfielder is yet to bring out his best game, and that he still has a lot left to offer. It is also claimed that despite his average form since the switch, the gaffer has seen enough from him in the first few months of action to turn his loan spell into a permanent one. Although the Algerian hadn’t even reached peak match fitness before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the competition to a halt, the former Spurs man is said to be enjoying life in Tyneside.
How Has Nabil Bentaleb’s Career Path Been?
The Algerian international midfielder arrived at Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 as a teenager and made excellent strides within the White Hart Lane academy. Within a couple of years of his arrival, the midfielder made a strong impact on the team, and soon enough he had a place in the Spurs first team (almost) as well. Despite being young, Bentaleb showcased great maturity and composure during his Premier League days, and the only reason he was shipped out was lack of consistency.
The midfielder spent a loan spell at German outfit Schalke following which he made the switch permanent in the summer of 2017. Despite being in the London club’s first team for almost two years, the Algerian failed to have too much of an impact in the Bundesliga. Despite the occasional sign of quality, the rest of Bentaleb’s career has followed a rather frustrating trend.
Having arrived at Newcastle in January, the midfielder was quickly thrown back into the mix by Steve Bruce, even though he was playing for the Schalke B team before making the switch. Although he featured in 25 fixtures for the Bundesliga outfit last season, the Algerian has had no involvement in the first-team this time around, as he didn’t even play a single league minute for Schalke.
Why Newcastle Should Sign Nabil Bentaleb Permanently?
A suitable carrier of the ball, Bentaleb can play across a variety of positions in the middle of the park. While box-to-box is his playing style, the former Spurs man is comfortable in possession and can pick out those sprawling long diagonals as well. The Schalke loanee’s strength and general physicality make him a good fit for Premier League football.
The Algerian international is still only 25-years-old and therefore has a long future ahead of him. The midfielder’s exploits in a Tottenham shirt all those years ago would be enough to prove his overall quality, while his three league outings for Newcastle this season were only the beginning. Steve Bruce isn’t wrong in believing that signing a former Premier League midfielder for such a nominal fee is a good move. In fact, it’s one that he should look to get done at the earliest.
