Nabil Bentaleb is officially a Newcastle United player.
The Algerian midfielder has arrived on loan from Schalke, with a view to a permanent move. According to the Chronicle, he’ll cost £9 million if we want to keep him.
Fans in England will know all about Bentaleb from his time at Tottenham, emerging through the youth setup to make his Premier League debut in 2013. He only scored one goal for Spurs, which interestingly came against Newcastle in a League Cup tie.
He headed to Germany in 2016, but things started to go wrong last year. He was dropped to the reserves because of discipline problems, which some fans might see as a cause for concern.
But this is a fresh start for a midfielder who has a real point to prove back in England.
It’s a sensible deal by Newcastle, who could get a great player for a bargain fee in the summer if all goes to plan.
As for Schalke, they’ve likely seen the last of Bentaleb. And fans of the Bundesliga club have wished the 25-year-old all the best for the next step of his career.
Schalke fans pay respect to new Magpie Bentaleb
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