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Does Nabil Bentaleb have a Tottenham future?

By Rucker Haringey

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20 : Nabil Bentaleb of Tottenham Hotspur during the Emirates FA Cup match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium on January 20, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20 : Nabil Bentaleb of Tottenham Hotspur during the Emirates FA Cup match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium on January 20, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has seen a dramatic drop in playing time from last year to this season

Last year, Nabil Bentaleb was one of the first names on the Tottenham team sheet every week. This season, you’re more likely to find his name amongst the U21 starting 11. Does the Algerian international still have a future with Spurs?

The question of Nabil Bentaleb having a future at Tottenham last year would have made most Spurs fans roar with laughter. The Algerian starlet had shrugged off an early, unfortunate association with then-manager Tim Sherwood, to become a key cog for Mauricio Pochettino.

He started 25 Premier League matches for Spurs at just 20 years of age and looked like a potential star at White Hart Lane. He even became a key figure for the Algerian International team after snubbing France for his native land. Bentaleb looked to be a lock for football stardom.

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Then, something happened to the defensive midfielder during the offseason. Some would argue that he read too many press clippings about how good he was, and got complacent. Others would point to a few nagging injuries that have plagued Bentaleb over the off-season and into this campaign. No matter what you think happened to throw him off his game, you can’t argue that something did occur.

Call it a sophomore slump, but it’s been quite drastic. Bentaleb has struggled to find a regular place under Pochettino this season. While the club is experiencing its best season in years, Bentaleb has been a massive disappointment as an individual.

This season he’s only managed to play in a grand total of five Premier League matches. His performance in those matches hasn’t been good either. He carries a Whoscored.com player average of just 6.27 in Premier League matches. That makes him one of the lowest rated players in the squad. He’s been just plain bad.

His career regression has called his future at Tottenham to become a significant question mark. While his career has floundered, the club has seen several key players take huge steps forward in his absence. It’s rather difficult to see him supplanting any of the starting 11 anytime soon barring injury.

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The starting defensive midfield pairing of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele have been extraordinary for Spurs this season. Dier has managed the tricky position switch from central defender to defensive midfielder at such a high level that he received an England call-up. All Dembele has done with his playing time this season is become the highest rated statistical performer for Tottenham via Whoscored.com. He’s arguably been the team’s most improved, and most outstanding performer on the season.

The competition for Bentaleb doesn’t end there. Currently, he’s behind several other players in Pochettino’s pecking order. Ryan Mason, a frequent starter before he suffered his own injury, figures to slide back into the rotation ahead of Bentaleb once he regains fitness. Even Tom Carroll, slight as his frame may be, has started to gain Pochettino’s trust. Neither of these players are necessarily ahead of Bentaleb in the long-run, but they certainly are at the moment.

That means there are four Tottenham defensive midfielders that are currently ahead of Bentaleb on the roster. Even if Tottenham doesn’t buy another defensive midfielder in the summer, Bentaleb will face an uphill climb to receive regular playing time.

There’s also the possibility that Dele Alli will once again feature as a defensive midfielder. Some argue that he’s at his best when he comes from a deeper midfield role. I think that opinion is incorrect, but it’s not impossible that he would see time ahead of Bentaleb as a defensive midfielder as well.

The ultimate conclusion you can draw is that Bentaleb faces significant hurdles to overcome to find his way back into the Tottenham lineup. Over his career, he hasn’t exactly shown patience or maturity in spades when it comes to playing time. There’s a reason he chose to play for Algeria over waiting for a French call-up. He wanted to play in the World Cup immediately, not wait four years.

In the same way, I anticipate that he’ll want to play immediately in the Premier League. If that opportunity doesn’t present itself for Tottenham, it’s reasonable to think he may push for a move away from White Hart Lane. While it would be regrettable to see a player of his ability and youth depart, it would be understandable from the player’s point of view.

Related Story: FA Cup run is huge for Nabil Bentaleb's future

If Nabil Bentaleb is going to have a future at Tottenham, the run to the end of this season is going to be hugely important. If he can manage to at least play well enough to get his name back on the substitute list ahead of Carroll and Mason, he may be inclined to stay. If he continues to receive more playing time for the youth teams than the senior squad, then I fear a summer transfer may be in the cards for young Bentaleb.

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