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Juventus Eyeing Tottenham’s Bentaleb as Pogba’s Replacement

By Alexander Balano

Jul 27, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb reacts during an All-Star press conference at Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nabil Bentaleb reacts during an All-Star press conference at Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tottenham have yet to receive any formal offers for Nabil Bentaleb but Juventus could be on the lookout once Paul Pogba is officially sold.

Whenever Paul Pogba is sold for a world record fee to Manchester United (which should be close because he was given permission to undergo a medical over the weekend), Juventus will act accordingly and look for a replacement.

One player the Italian giants seem to have found is Tottenham’s out of favor defensive midfielder, Nabil Bentaleb, according to Football Insider. The 21-year-old still has some untapped potential after only playing one full season two years ago.

Related Story: Tottenham Player Preview: Nabil Bentaleb

Based on the report above, Juventus sees the Algerian international as a player who could fit in Massimiliano Allegri’s first-team. And although Paul Pogba and Bentaleb play different positions, questions have arose as to what the midfielder’s best position actually is.

Truth be told, it’s hard to figure out. While Bentaleb has looked good as a holding midfielder during the 2014-15 season, what were to happen if he played as a number eight alongside Eric Dier or Victor Wanyama?

Nabil Bentaleb has gotten forward when presented with the opportunity and quite frankly, if he’s lined up side-by-side next to Ryan Mason, picking the best player overall regardless of position would clearly be Bentaleb rather than Mason.

(L-R) Andrea Poli of AC Milan, Nabil Bentaleb of Tottenham Hotspur during the AUDI Cup bronze final match between Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan on August 5, 2015 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R) Andrea Poli of AC Milan, Nabil Bentaleb of Tottenham Hotspur during the AUDI Cup bronze final match between Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan on August 5, 2015 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

Bentaleb has a higher ceiling and would provide Tottenham with a versatile player if he shifts over to central midfield, giving the likes of Dier and Wanyama sole possession at defensive midfield.

Not to mention, Mousa Dembélé would get some competition as well.

It’s a win-win situation for Tottenham had Bentaleb not been told he had no future despite showing promise just two seasons ago.

With Daniel Levy valuing the midfielder at just £10 million, this is obviously chump change for a big European club like Juventus and when the time comes for them to buy Nabil Bentaleb, Tottenham will have sold three players this summer (Grant Ward and Alex Pritchard being the other two).

Federico Fazio would be the fourth Spurs player to leave after signing with AS Roma on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

More from Tottenham Transfer Rumours

Nabil Bentaleb’s once promising career, has completed deteriorated in north London following multiple incidents that overshadowed his performance once 2014-15 campaign ended.

To begin last summer with stalled contract negotiations because the two parties couldn’t agree on personal terms started an avalanche.

Following a long and dragged out process just to sign a five-year deal, saw Eric Dier switch positions from center-back to holding mid.

Then when the 2015-16 season began, a massive drop in form caused Bentaleb to fall down the pecking order.

After suffering an injury, this would be the final nail in the coffin for the Algerian international.

But back to what started this whole mess, Nabil Bentaleb’s five-year contract extension.

It’s unknown what the hold up was about during these talks, but if Football Insider believes that Bentaleb is earning more than Harry Kane and Dele Alli, then perhaps it was due to his representatives insisting that Bentaleb be paid accordingly after being one of the bright spots in Mauricio Pochettino’s first year as Spurs’ manager.

Of course, no one truly knows what the real reason was as to why these contract talks took forever. What is known though, is that this rubbed Pochettino the wrong way, to the point that he took it upon himself to try Eric Dier out at defensive midfield after signing him to be a center-back initially.

Next: Tottenham: Janssen Provides Competition for Kane

The rest as they say is history. Dier is the present and future at defensive midfield with Victor Wanyama as his backup but who is also capable of being a starter when need be.

Because of this, there isn’t a spot for Nabil Bentaleb anymore on the squad — unless he switches positions. But this is something that Pochettino hasn’t given any thought at all and it’s not surprising.

Any player who doesn’t follow the Tottenham Way that the Argentine manager has instilled since he was hired two years ago, or haven’t proven themselves yet, have found themselves ousted by the club.