Most believe Tottenham will sell midfielder Nabil Bentaleb this summer, but the club would be better off providing him a loan
Just a season ago, Nabil Bentaleb seemed to be the future of the Tottenham midfield. Now, it seems more likely that Bentaleb will be sold than find his way in the Spurs starting 11 next season.
It’s been a steep decline in fortune for Bentaleb since the beginning of last season. He’s gone from Mauricio Pochettino’s penthouse to his proverbial dog house in a shockingly short amount of time. His lack of form has caused him to be left out of the club’s preseason trip to Australia which has cast his Tottenham future very much in doubt. The expectation is that the Algerian will be sold off this summer.
The fact that Tottenham spent 11 million pounds on defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama is another reason most believe Bentaleb’s future is elsewhere. While I certainly acknowledge that may be true, I think it’s too early for Spurs to completely give up on the talented midfielder.
It’s easy to forget that Bentaleb is still just 21-years-old. He played a prominent role for the club at the tender age of 19, which caused expectations for his career to skyrocket. Now, the fact that he burst onto the scene at such a young age is working against him.
The point is that Bentaleb is still quite a few years away from reaching his maximum physical and emotional maturity. Selling him now would be giving up on a player with quite a bit of talent. That’s why I’m advocating for a loan move instead.
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I happen to believe that Bentaleb’s biggest problem is his lack of emotional maturity. He strikes me as a classic example of a player that received too much fame and adulation, too early in his career. He got complacent after receiving so many plaudits at a young age and stopped putting real work into his game. When he stopped putting in the work, his career first stalled, and later began a steep decline.
It’s not too late for Bentaleb to turn that around though. A move away from White Hart Lane for a season might be just the thing to rejuvenate his career. In fact, I’d recommend sending him to the most obscure club possible to give him a serious dose of reality.
I don’t think Bentaleb really understands how good he has it at Tottenham. He is fortunate enough to play with numerous world-class players, be managed by one of the best managers in the world, and use some of the premier facilities on the planet. He’s gotten too comfortable.
A move to a club with less comfort and prestige could bring Bentaleb back down to Earth. At a smaller club with less pageantry, it would be easier for him to re-dedicate himself to the game of football. If he could recover the right mental mindset during a season away, he could return to Tottenham as the world-class midfielder we thought he’d become just a season ago.
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Given the fact that Bentaleb signed a five-year-contract just a season ago, there’s no reason not to loan him out for a year. It allows Tottenham to see more of his career development with very little risk. If he doesn’t regain his focus during the year away, they can sell him just as easily next summer.
Nabil Bentaleb once had a very promising future for Tottenham and I can’t believe all of that talent has just disappeared. Selling him this summer would be an unnecessary risk when a summer loan could allow him to recoup all of his ability and value.