It is fair to say Schalke will not stand in Nabil Bentaleb’s way if Newcastle United come calling once again during the January transfer window.
The Mirror (6 December, page 72) reported that the Algeria international could return to St James’ Park for a second spell with Steve Bruce’s side next month. Fulham are also interested in a technically gifted midfielder who made his name a few miles north at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Chronicle even claims that Bentaleb has been offered to Premier League clubs as Schalke look to cut ties over the next few weeks.
But why on earth are the Bundesliga strugglers desperate to get rid of a player who, in the words of sporting director Jochen Schneider, is nothing short of a ‘great footballer’?
Schalke are bottom of the table and, in Sunday’s 3-0 thrashing against Bayer Leverkusen, endured a 26th successive game without a win. Surely they need all the talent they can get, as the 2011 Champions League semi-finalists hurtle towards relegation.
Yet, as Schneider explains to Schalke’s official website, the problem is with Bentaleb’s attitude, not his ability.
“There’s no question that he’s a great footballer. But we have established that Schalke and Nabil Bentaleb clearly aren’t a good fit,” Schneider said.
“There’s nothing in this moment that has led to this, but rather, it was part of a process. We will part ways by summer 2021 at the latest.”
Bentaleb has been frozen out of first-team training at the Veltins Arena – and not for the first time either.
Those disciplinary issues were nowhere to be seen during his short-lived spell at Newcastle however, and Bruce obviously feels he can get a tune out of a talented if troublesome footballer who would bring some control and class to a flimsy midfield.
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