According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Schalke midfielder Nabil Bentaleb in this transfer window.
The report suggests that the German outfit have made the Tottenham academy graduate available for sale this month as he eyes a move back to England. He was initially signed on loan by Schalke and after a year, his move was made permanent to Veltins Arena in the summer of 2017.
In his three years in Germany, Bentaleb has made 97 appearances for the Royal Blues and in the process, has scored 19 goals and 9 assists for his team. This season, he has featured in only two games for the club’s reserve sides and is yet to feature for the first-team.
He represented Algeria at the 2014 World Cup and was also a part of the Desert Foxes’ Nations Cup squad in 2015 and 2017. At the moment, he is going through a tough spell in Germany and has opened up on his willingness to return to England.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have done quite well so far and are competing for a European spot. Though their consistency has wavered at times, Palace have managed to stay within touching distance.
Roy Hodgson’s men have done everything right so far but have lacked intensity from their attackers, who have scored less than average in the top-flight this term.
The forwards have managed just 11 goals, with 6 of those coming from Jordan Ayew. And if they are to continue well, the manager should go for a striker in the market.
Regarding the central players, the Eagles are blessed with a number of midfielders in the likes of Luka Milivojevic, Cheikou Kouyate, James McArthur, James McCarthy and Jeffrey Schlupp. They have been a regular under the manager so far and have done exceedingly well this season.
Going into the second phase of the league, Hodgson almost has every member fit and available at his disposal except for Schlupp, who is out with a hip injury and would return only in mid-February.
In that case, there might be no need for Palace to reinforce their midfield and making a move for Nabil Bentaleb would rightly make no sense for the club.
The 25-year-old has not been a part of Schalke’s first-team for a year due to unprofessional behaviour and is currently training with the reserve team after recovering from a knee injury, according to the report.
The Algeria International is also prone to injuries and this could be a huge problem if he plays in the Premier League, which is considered to be the toughest, and Palace might have to deal with his injuries a lot more often. And without a touch of high-level action for a year, his efforts to get back in shape would end in vain.
Although he has some experience in England, returning from a less dominant league could hamper his progress and the manager will have to put him on the bench time and again.
Therefore, they would be wise to not waste their resources in Bentaleb and should look to strengthen other positions this month.
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