German Club Considering A Permanent £17 Million Move For This Tottenham Midfielder

Nabil Bentaleb is a highly rated talent at Tottenham, but the 21-year-old found only limited first-team opportunities under manager Mauricio Pochettino. The South American boss cannot be blamed for misjudging Bentaleb; the Algerian midfielder had managed only one goal in his previous three campaigns with Spurs. Bentaleb has shown a lot of promise, but Spurs were in need of players who could bring instant success. This meant that Bentaleb had to look for opportunities elsewhere and a loan move to Schalke seemed like the perfect fit.

The German outfit, though, have inserted a clause in the loan deal to have the ability to sign the player on a permanent basis for around £17 million. The initial few weeks of Bentaleb’s time at Schalke may have pointed out an instant return back to White Hart Lane for the youngster. However, he has been running the show at Schalke in recent weeks and the club appears to have been hugely impressed that they are considering the possibility of a permanent move.

Bentaleb has been a regular player for Schalke since September, but it was not until the previous game against Augsburg that the winger managed to score the first goal for his temporary club. He has followed that up with a man of the match performance in the 3-0 win over Mainz. Bentaleb scored two goals in the win to create headlines in Bundesliga. The 21-year-old has consistently been showing improvement on the pitch and he has two assists and three goals in his last six matches.

Of course, Schalke will not be making any hasty decision based on a couple of games and they still have a lot of time left to decide on a potential move. This may not seem to be the case, as German tabloid Bild reported that the player has already agreed on a four-year contract with Schalke. A player who joined Spurs as a youngster from Dunkerque, Bentaleb has the capability to get regular first-team football if he moves to the German club on a permanent basis.

Even though the player has a contract with Spurs until the summer of 2020, it looks highly unlikely that he will force his way into Pochettino’s team even after this run of form with Schalke. Hence, it makes sense for all parties involved to move forward with Bentaleb joining the German outfit and the Spurs receiving £17 million that can be invested in other areas of the pitch.

Spurs have been heavily linked with fullbacks in the last couple of weeks. A new defender could potentially act as a backup for Danny Rose and Kyle Walker at the same time. Current fullbacks Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier are both linked with moves away from the club in January.

Son Heung-min continued his superb recent form to give Tottenham the first win of their Champions League campaign at CSKA Moscow.

The South Korean scored his fifth goal in five games to win the game, slotting in after collecting Erik Lamela's pass.

Spurs were sloppy in their opening-game loss to Monaco but were better in an entertaining game in Russia and could have won by more.

Dele Alli also hit the crossbar with a fierce 20-yard strike.

Spurs, who travelled to Russia without Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele, Moussa Sissoko and Harry Kane, had a couple of scares but deserved their win and can now head to face German side Bayer Leverkusen - who drew 1-1 at Monaco on Wednesday - with greater confidence.

Son shining

Son had a disappointing debut season for Spurs after joining the club in summer 2015 for a reported £22m from Leverkusen, scoring only eight goals in 41 appearances.

But he has hit the ground running this campaign, shouldering the goal-scoring burden for his side over the first few months with crucial strikes.

His input has become even more important as Harry Kane struggles for form and fitness and the England striker's current understudy Vincent Janssen strives to turn effort into impact.

Son followed up his two-goal displays in the league victories at Stoke and Middlesbrough with the winner on Tuesday - another neat finish that squirmed under the outstretched hand of home keeper Igor Akinfeev.

The 24-year-old could have made a hat-trick of braces for the season to ease Tottenham's nerves but after turning well in the box his shot was blocked.

Spurs learn quickly

The relief of the goal was clear to see in the Tottenham players, who had just started to show signs of frustration following 70 minutes during which they had plenty of possession but too often failed with their final ball or fired efforts off target.

In their opening game against Monaco they lacked concentration at the back and an inability to capitalise on chances at the other end, and there were echoes of this in Moscow.

As well as striking the bar, Alli also looped a header on to the roof of the net and failed to control a pass from deep after he had broken the offside trap.

Thankfully for the London side, CSKA do not possess Monaco's ruthless edge and wasted the good chances that came their way, Zoran Tosic twice curling shots wide of goal.

The Russians came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Leverkusen in their opening game, but they were managed well by Spurs after Son's goal to prevent another late rally.

Man of the match - Son Heung-min

What they said

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "We've played much better tonight [than against Monaco] but it was a tough game as it's always difficult to play here in Moscow. It was very important for us to get three points here as we were in a must-win position.

"We're in the race for the next round. It's a very important three points. But there's four games remaining to play and everything is still open.

"It is very important that not only Harry [Kane], who was good before his injury and scored, that now another player has scored and that is very important for the team.

"I feel very pleased for Sonny {Son Heung-min]. He is on fire and to keep this form is very important for us."

CSKA Moscow manager Leonid Slutsky: "We knew Spurs would have a lot of possession, would dominate us in that part of the game.

"The goal was marginally offside, maybe yes, maybe no, we have to see it again, but it doesn't matter. In second half we tried to attack more but we didn't take our chances and that's why we are here."

Son Heung-min gives injury-hit Tottenham Champions League victory at CSKA

Tottenham coped well despite injury problems to put its Champions League campaign back on track this morning with a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow.

Son Heung-min scored the winning goal, his fifth of the season, in the 71st minute to keep up his good form in the absence of injured Harry Kane.

Tottenham — missing five first-team regulars — bounced back from its opening loss to Monaco in Group E. Coach Mauricio Pochettino criticized his players' outlook following that defeat, but was full of praise after Tuesday's win made it four victories in a row since then.

"After Monaco, I think that our performance (is) about attitude, about passion, about playing how we need to play and how we feel," he said. "It was fantastic."

Goalscorer Son was frequently a substitute last season but has found himself elevated this campaign due to Kane's injury. With Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Moussa Sissoko also having missed the trip to Russia, Pochettino praised the team's strength in depth.

"Now you can see that all the players are key in the squad," he said. "You never know when a player will become key for the team ... In some specific moment, that player who doesn't play too much can be decisive."

Defeat was a blow for CSKA, which was celebrating the first European game at its new stadium, the 30,000-capacity Arena CSKA, ending six years spent at a temporary home in the Moscow suburbs.

Goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev has not kept a clean sheet in the Champions League for 10 years and got a foot to Son's low shot, but couldn't stop it trickling over the line. Erik Lamela also deserved credit for his incisive through-ball to send Son clean behind the CSKA defense.

The goal came shortly after Pochettino had moved Son up into a center-forward role after taking off Vincent Janssen. CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky suggested Son may have been offside, saying the pass was, at the very least, "on the edge" of legality.

Dele Alli threatened to score for Tottenham in the first half, hitting the bar with a shot from range and heading off-target from a good position.

Slutsky typically favors defensive tactics in European games and today's fixture was no different as Spurs were allowed to dominate possession. After a quiet first half from CSKA, however, Zoran Tosic could have put the Moscow team ahead shortly after the break when he shot over Hugo Lloris' bar following a low cross from Lacina Traore.

CSKA pushed forward after Son's strike, but Mario Fernandes' shot across the face of goal was the closest the Russian team came to scoring. CSKA has a single point from its first group game, a draw against Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite the match being the first visit by an English club to Russia since violent clashes between fans from the two countries at the European Championship in June, there were no obvious signs of disorder in or around the stadium. Pochettino didn't address the issue directly but praised Tottenham's roughly 200 supporters for traveling to Moscow at a "very tough and a very difficult moment."

Tottenham news: Mauricio Pochettino hopes Spurs players have grown up after last season's title agony

Pochettino told his players in pre-season that he wanted to kill them after their 5-1 defeat to Newcastle in May, but thinks they are stronger for it now

For many Tottenham Hotspur players, this was the worst summer of their careers. In late April and May their Premier League title dreams collapsed, with painful draws against West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea before embarrassing defeats to Southampton and Newcastle United. They fell so far they finished the season in third.

Then, in June and July, most of Spurs’ team were crushed or frustrated in their international efforts. Eight Spurs players suffered as England and Belgium embarrassingly crashed out of Euro 2016. Hugo Lloris captained France to their Paris final, which they lost. Erik Lamela’s Argentina were runners up in the Copa America for the second year in a row.

The players needed to be lifted when they returned in late July but what they got from Mauricio Pochettino was a brutal assessment of where last season had gone wrong, especially the 5-1 defeat at St James’ Park. Pochettino was furious with that performance, and with the fact that, as it was the last game of the season, he did not get the chance to tell his players how he felt at the time.

Pochettino took a young Spurs squad to Australia in late July but when he returned to Enfield he met up with his senior players who he had not seen for two months. And he told them how personally offended he had been by that Newcastle collapse.

“When we got back from Australia, we talked a bit about it,” Pochettino revealed on Thursday afternoon. “The players needed to hear my feelings, how I felt after the game and after the season, because there was no time to share [then]. I explained my point of view and my feelings.”

Those feelings were furious. “I just told them, that if I had had the opportunity to kill them, then I would have done. I wanted to kill all of them. And kill myself too. I am very honest with them and 

they are very honest with me. That is a very good relationship.”

The words might sound harsh but that is the medicine Pochettino has decided upon for his players. This is his third season in charge at Tottenham and only Mark Hughes and Arsene Wenger have managed their clubs continuously in the Premier League for longer. Pochettino has spent all summer agonising over last season, at the cost of any enjoyment of his holidays. And he decided that it was a lack of mental maturity over the final stretch that cost them the title.

Tottenham’s 2nd Vincent Janssen bid accepted: €17m Spurs offer upped and approved, medical imminent

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly closing in on their second major summer signing after an improved Vincent Janssen bid was accepted by AZ Alkmaar.

According to Voetbalzone, Spurs have been successful with their second offer – worth €20m plus bonuses – after their initial bid of €17m was rebuffed.

Voetbalzone claim that Janssen is very keen to become a Tottenham player, having snubbed interest from PSG.

The Dutch publication also report that the 22-year-old will now travel to London for a medical as soon as possible. 

anssen’s arrival would be a real boost for Spurs, whose need for a new striker is no secret.

Spurs went through the entire 2015-16 season relying on Harry Kane as the only recognised striker in their senior squad.

Kane was able to start all 38 of his side’s Premier League matches, scoring 25 goals.

Despite his fine scoring record, Kane appeared very tired at times last term, but, due to their lack of alternatives, Spurs were reluctant to give him a rest.

Tottenham’s limited options up front also meant that manager Mauricio Pochettino was unable to deviate from his 4-2-3-1 formation.

Janssen’s arrival should allow Pochettino to operate with two strikers when he deems it necessary.

Kane’s 25-goal haul saw him finish as the leading scorer in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Janssen topped the scoring charts in Holland’s Eredivisie, with 27 goals in 34 outings, including 32 starts.

Spurs' Son Heung-Min sorry for anger in South Korea friendly thrashing

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-Min has apologised for his behaviour during South Korea's 6-1 friendly defeat to Spain on Wednesday, saying he was "furious" with the team's performance.

Son flung a towel towards the bench after being replaced by teammate Lee Jae-Sung on the hour, with South Korea trailing 5-0 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg.

The 23-year-old said he had been rash and stressed that the players had to take responsibility for their capitulation to the defending European champions.

"I know we are a good team, but I was furious when we collapsed like that," Son told the Yonhap News Agency.

"I was also mad at myself for getting overwhelmed by the opponents, and I expressed my feelings rashly. I'm sorry.

"Head coach Uli Stielike said that he is responsible for the result, but it is the players who were on the pitch. I think it's important for each player to think about what went wrong in the match."

South Korea struggled to cope throughout the match as forwards Nolito and Alvaro Morata both scored twice, with Cesc Fabregas and David Silva also on the scoresheet.

Se-Jong Ju scored a late consolation for South Korea, and Son said: "I think taking a big defeat like this will teach us more lessons.

"Since we are not robots, we can't always perform well. But because we represent the country, we are putting our best efforts forward."

Arsenal cost Tottenham Hotspur the Premier League title, claims Christian Eriksen

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen believes Arsenal cost Mauricio Pochettino’s side the Premier League title this season.

Leicester City were crowned champions after Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Monday night.

Pochettino’s side were practically neck-and-neck with the Foxes throughout the run-in but had a golden chance to leapfrog them when Arsenal visited White Hart Lane on March 5th.

Spurs were winning 2-1 against the 10-men of Arsenal but a late Alexis Sanchez goal salvaged a draw for the Gunners and Eriksen believes it was this moment that cost his side the title.

Alexis Sanchez’s late goal denied Spurs all three points (Picture: Getty)

‘It is exceptional what they [Leicester City] have done,’ said Eriksen.

‘I can only credit them for what they have done and achieved.

‘I texted [Denmark team-mate Kasper] Schmeichel to say congratulations and he was happy. I could feel that in his text message. He was really happy. They definitely deserve it.

‘[But] we threw it away a few games ago when we had the chance to go top, which we didn’t.

‘After that they showed consistency by winning games 1-0 for the whole season. So congratulations to Leicester. Hopefully next season will be revenge.’

Stoke City 1, Southampton 2 talking points: Change of plan may be needed to aid Potters

A BAD day at the office for Stoke City on Saturday as they lost 2-1 at home to Southampton. Potters blogger ROB DOOLAN looks at the main talking points from the Britannia Stadium encounter.

HE WHO SCORES FIRST, LAUGHS LAST AT THE BRITANNIA STADIUM

THIS was not a Stoke display entirely devoid of merit – the heart and ambition showcased after the interval brought a well-taken goal and threatened to produce more – but sadly the damage had been done by then.

Stoke were 2-0 down inside half an hour, this latest home reverse told a depressingly familiar tale, as Stoke again choked on their own toxic cocktail of ponderous, blunt approach play and defensive somnambulance.

In 16 of 18 league and cup games at the Brit this season, the team to score the opening goal has gone on to win.

Southampton were just the latest team to come to ST4, get men behind the ball and get themselves in front.

It's a strategy that is Kryptonite to this Stoke side. Like Watford and Crystal Palace before them, the Saints were able to close ranks, crowd out the creative players and pick Stoke off on the break.

IS IT TIME FOR TWO STRIKERS AT HOME?

SHANE Long was technically playing wide right in Southampton's 4-2-3-1, but in reality operated as a de facto partner for Graziano Pelle, continually finding space centrally against Stoke's high line to cause problems with his pace.

Pelle, meanwhile, made the most of his physical presence, monstering a number of defenders with his brawn and movement.

His first goal was a gift, his second was brilliant centre forward play that embarrassed Geoff Cameron and made it an unhappy return for Ryan Shawcross.

By contrast, Stoke's lone striker, Mame Diouf, was isolated, expected to work wonders against a hoard of green shirts whenever the ball came into the box. Maybe it's time he was given help.

A number of Stoke's strikers – Diouf, Crouch, Joselu – are better suited to a strike partnership, and packed defences would suddenly have twice as many predators to worry about.

It's a switch that would raise some awkward questions about who drops out of midfield to make way.

WHELAN LEAVES THE PARTY EARLY ON HIS BIG DAY

HUGHES did, in fact, introduce a second striker late in proceedings on Saturday; Crouch again thrown on as the search for an equaliser became increasingly desperate.

However, the decision to remove milestone man Glenn Whelan for the big striker, on his 300th appearance for the club, destabilised the team.

Frustrating though their build-up play could be, Stoke did actually create a few chances.

Arnautovic stabbed one home and then was denied a second by Fraser Forster, before Mame Diouf spurned a great opportunity to equalise.

Much of this attacking play started with Whelan, who always made himself available to play the simple ball and feed Imbula or one of the forward players or full backs, as they probed the Saints' rearguard.

When he went off, Stoke's dominance of possession was sacrificed in the name of repeatedly launching it long, which was all too easy for the impressive Virgil van Dijk, who won twice as many aerial duels as any other player.

Whelan's sponsors' man of the match award was written off by some as purely sentimental, but the hole he left when he went off said much about his influence. £500,000, 300 games, eight years later, he's still the glue.

IMBULA IS HARD TO STOP, EVEN ON AN 'OFF DAY'

AFTER a magnificent performance at Chelsea, the cat is well and truly out of the bag about Stoke's £18.3m man.

Southampton were ready for him, and during the first half we was allowed no time on the ball as he was engulfed every time he received a pass.

He lost the ball more than in any of his previous appearances.

Imbula is a force of nature however, and even when not at his best he is difficult to suppress. After the break he was revitalised, as Southampton energies were sapped in trying to contain him.

He had greater freedom to surge forward menacingly, and as his influence grew, Stoke were able to exert a grip on the game that lasted until Whelan's exit.

Even in his most wasteful display to date, he completed 20 more passes than the contest's next most consistent passer, he made more passes in the attacking third than any other player, and for the fifth time in six games since his debut, he dribbled past more players than anyone else.

In victory or defeat, he is a superstar in the making.

NOBODY HELPS A TEAM IN NEED LIKE STOKE CITY

THERE'S no question that Ronald Koeman's side were worthy victors. Southampton got their tactics spot on, neutralising Stoke's key men and targeting the weak links.

They will feel unlucky not to have added more goals to their tally, with Dusan Tadic missing a great chance before half-time to make it three and later denied a penalty when Butland felled him, and James Ward-Prowse smashing the crossbar with a free-kick.

In a season riven with indiscipline for the Saints, they are even likely to see Sadio Mane's red card rescinded.

Heading into this fixture however, they'd taken just one point from seven.

Graziano Pelle hadn't scored for 11 games. That both should reverse their fortunes against Stoke comes as no surprise.

Is there another team in England so generous to teams and players in strife?

This season alone, Stoke have become the first team to concede more than one first-half goal to LVG's Man United, the first Premier League team Troy Deeney scored against, the first team in a month to concede against Aston Villa, the team who ended Jamie Vardy's six-week barren spell.

Danny Rose and Ben Davies battle to become first choice at Tottenham

When Tottenham announce their line-up for Saturday's home game against Sunderland, most fans will immediately focus on the central midfielders, to see whether Tom Carroll has been replaced by Mousa Dembele.

There are not many other questions as Mauricio Pochettino's favoured XI is fairly predictable these days. There is nothing really wrong with that. Consistency breeds confidence and allows relationships to develop all over the pitch.

Yet it can also hint at a lack of competition for places. While Spurs' head coach and players are always keen to stress their strength in depth, at least seven members of the team are automatic picks in the priority Premier League games.

The most interesting battle is probably at left-back, where Ben Davies has overtaken Danny Rose in the pecking order for now. The Welshman has started four of the last five league games; the other one being the trip to Watford on Dec. 28 when Pochettino rotated both of his full-backs due to the busy Christmas schedule.

This is the fight that Spurs were hoping for when they signed Davies from Swansea 18 months ago. It did not really materialise last season. The 22-year-old looked unconfident for much of last term and a rather disappointing campaign ended prematurely and ignominiously at Southampton in April when he dallied in front of his own goal, allowing Graziano Pelle to prod past Hugo Lloris at close range, and then unfortunately went off with a dislocated shoulder.

Meanwhile, Rose finished the season as arguably Spurs' most-improved player, having scored four goals and set up another four, and there were rumours champions Chelsea and Manchester City were interested in him.

Rose has had good performances this season as well and his assist for Harry Kane in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates -- when he freed the striker with a curling through ball from inside his own half -- underlined his quality.

He is quicker than Davies and more dynamic, as he showed in Sunday's FA Cup tie against Leicester when he burst into the box and won the late penalty that enabled Kane to grab a 2-2 draw and a replay. Rose is also better in the air despite being shorter than Davies.

But Davies now appears to have acclimatised to life in north London following his big move from Wales, and is surely now in his best form during his time at Spurs.

There have been times when his first thought was a backwards one -- a safe, easy pass to Jan Vertonghen. Yet now he seems eager to make an impact in the opponents' half and confident in his ability to do so. He has hit the crossbar against Anderlecht and Everton and there was an intelligence to his use of the ball in the final third against Leicester on Wednesday night, even though Spurs lost 1-0.

On one occasion he elected to pass inside to Kane. On another he played it down the line to Erik Lamela, who flashed an over-hit cross over Kane from the by-line. Then there were two low crosses to Lamela in the second half. So far this campaign Davies has three assists, while Rose has two.

Fans have differing views in this debate. Some feel Davies is the better defender and that his crosses are more accurate. Meanwhile, some feel Rose would have done a better job of exploiting the space on the left flank in the midweek defeat as he has the ability to beat a man.

On balance, Rose at his best is probably better than Davies but the gap between the two has narrowed significantly this season and it is one area where Pochettino has a nice dilemma.

The full-backs are key to his system and they will be important again on Saturday as Spurs bid to unlock Sunderland's defence and bounce back from their midweek loss against Leicester.

Having finished 2015 with a flourish and won three successive league games, Tottenham have been unable to win any of their first three matches in 2016 and they have lost two of their last three home matches in the top flight.