Tottenham starlet Nabil Bentaleb is set to make his Schalke move permanent while on-loan Pau Lopez will cost Spurs £5 million if they want to sign him permanently.
Sky Sports have reported that Tottenham could be set to bid adieu to one of its highly-rated academy graduates of recent times. Nabil Bentaleb, who is currently on loan to Schalke 04, is about to trigger a clause that enables the Bundesliga club to make the move permanent and the club plans to do just that.
Nabil Bentaleb made the grade at White Hart Lane after impressing all throughout the various academy levels, especially for the reserves squad. The arrival of Tim Sherwood saw a meteoric rise in Bentaleb’s stocks as he became one of the mainstays in the team.
But, after 66 senior appearances for Tottenham, with a return of 1 goal and 6 assists, the player agreed to move on loan to Schalke 04 and the move has been sort of a revelation for the Algerian international. The Bundesliga side has made the midfielder one of the first names on the team sheet and Bentaleb has responded with aplomb.
5 goals and 5 assists in 25 appearances for Schalke has seen Bentaleb surpass his total contribution at Tottenham in almost thrice as less appearances. The loan move reportedly contained a clause that enabled Schalke 04 to make the move permanent for a fee around £16 million.
Nabil Bentaleb for Schalke this season in the Bundesliga:
17 starts
4 goals
4 assistsQuality midfielder, @NabilBentaleb42. ????⚽️ pic.twitter.com/JtYqmBtpXF
— Dean Ammi (@whufcammi) February 13, 2017
And, as Bentaleb gears up for his 20th Bundesliga appearance for Schalke 04, it will trigger the clause and Bentaleb is likely to sign for Schalke on a permanent basis.
Bentaleb’s move to Bundesliga has so far been a huge success for the midfielder and with Pochettino having so many options available in the central midfield, Bentaleb is unlikely to be a regular at White Hart Lane if he ends up returning come the end of the season.
And the aforementioned could be the reasons why the 22-year-old prefers to make the loan move permanent. Schalke too would love to lock down the player’s future at Gelsenkirchen, with the midfielder having the potential to boss their midfield for the next decade or so.
The move makes sense for all the three parties involved and it would be interesting to see how Bentaleb develops his own football to become an even more enticing brand.
Tottenham would have to shell out £5 million to sign Pau Lopez permanently
Espanyol keeper Pau Lopez, who is currently on loan at Tottenham, will cost Spurs £5 million if Pochettino decides to sign the highly-rated custodian on a permanent basis. The Argentine holds the talent in high regard and could move to make the transfer permanent, as per Daily Mirror.
Pau Lopez is a Spanish Under-21 international who graduated through the Espanyol academy setup before making the senior grade at the Barcelona-based side. The 22-year-old recorded 10 shutouts in 48 senior appearances for the club and his performance was, overall, impressive enough to land him a move to Tottenham, albeit a temporary one.
Rumour is that we have decided to activate our option to permanently sign Pau Lopez for £6M. It’s likely he will be Vorms replacement. #THFC pic.twitter.com/oYlyIg2mEK
— Spurs News Today (@thfc_today) February 7, 2017
While the keeper has not managed a single first-team appearance for Spurs, Pochettino, a former Espanyol manager, holds the 22-year-old in high regard and could make the move permanent to make him the second-choice at White Hart Lane.
It would only cost Tottenham £5 million to sign him permanently, a fee that seems marginal in what is a very inflated market.
Especially, with rumours linking Spurs’ first-choice Hugo Lloris to a move to Real Madrid, Pochettino may move to secure another talented youngster’s future at the club.
The Argentine has made a name of nurturing young talents, which has also prompted the attention of clubs like Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, and Pau Lopez could be the latest permanent addition to what is already a young talented core at White Hart Lane.
