Why £10 Million Is a Realistic Figure for Tottenham to Sell Nabil Bentaleb
Nabil Bentaleb has been a fixture of Tottenham Hotspur's run-in since mid-March, but not in a way he would like.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino's regular pre-match press conferences have regularly included the midfielder. But his already disappointing 2015-16 is not culminating with praise regarding a late-season resurgence, rather weekly confirmations of his unavailability as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
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Even if Bentaleb were not sidelined, it's possible he would be enduring similar frustration. He was already on the periphery of the Tottenham first team before his injury. Since then, there's been no confirmation of Pochettino's intentions for him, which has left Bentaleb's situation very much up in the air.
The negative side of this uncertainty stems from how that lack of involvement unfolded. There was a downplaying of Bentaleb's standing that could impact his market value should the north London club decide to sell.
Though he could have been a first-choice player at the beginning of the campaign, he suffered as much as any from offseason rustiness. He was responsible for a bad pass that notably led to Manchester United's winner in an ill-deserved defeat on opening day.
Spurs started slowly in general. But where others got the chance to find their way in the new campaign, injury denied Bentaleb the opportunity. By the time he returned to contention after a setback suffered on international duty, he was facing a battle to regain his old spot.
That Bentaleb was unable to immediately displace the defensive presence of Eric Dier or the reinvigorated and influential Mousa Dembele was no surprise. What was shocking was his lack of success in establishing himself as the next man up.
Initially, Pochettino didn't consider the 21-year-old more deserving than Tom Carroll to be his go-to guy. Within a few months it was Ryan Mason—who had recovered from his own injury—getting the nod more frequently. Bentaleb's mini-run of cup appearances in January did not do enough to convince his boss he was worth more time.
His latest injury came in an under-21 fixture against Leicester City, as the lack of senior match action for one of Spurs' 2014-15 standouts resulted in attempts to at least get some football under his belt.
Current Newcastle United winger Andros Townsend took a similar route a few months earlier after finding his playing time limited.
Unlike his former team-mate (whose frustration at not playing led to a costly post-match spat with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner), Bentaleb has not publicly deviated from Pochettino's behavioural standards. Nonetheless, his minimal involvement raised the prospect of dissatisfaction somewhere.
Given he was still afforded playing time after his recovery, one would suspect a large portion of that relates to his performances here. It could also be the absence of any outstanding contributions, or at least an effort on par with the offerings of Carroll and Mason (as well as Dembele and Dier), that has caused issues for Bentaleb.
Aside from the concentration issues that appeared again back in August, Bentaleb was close to impeccable last season. His generally efficient and confident displays were particularly impressive at his fledgling level.
Given his youth and clear talent (or at least potential), it would be a shame for Spurs to give up and cash in now after one frustrating season. But if there are differences of opinion over his efforts to reclaim a place, a parting of ways may prove desirable for both.
Townsend is a pertinent example of what Spurs could hope to receive for Bentaleb, another academy product (although honed, rather than developed there).
Per BBC Sport, Newcastle paid £12 million for Townsend, a player of undoubted quality but with no body of work Spurs could point to as evidence he was worth more. Performance and fitness issues in his last year with the Lilywhites undermined his international cachet.
Bentaleb, an Algeria international with World Cup experience, would draw more interest from abroad than Townsend. Townsend wanted to remain in the Premier League, where he would be more accessible to England boss Roy Hodgson.
Even so, Bentaleb has not been successful enough to attract exorbitant offers. Despite the leeway offered by a contract with four years remaining, some realism would be required over what Spurs should expect to get right now.
Though Southampton got a reported £25 million from Manchester United for their central midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, he had already established himself as one of the division's best midfielders.
A similarly solid and often classy performer, Bentaleb could get to that point. But for now, he remains a prospect rather than a fully realised talent.
If Spurs sell, the least they should hope for in the current market is around £10 million. But getting much more than that for Bentaleb this summer would require some clever negotiating.
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