Central midfield is the hub of a football team, central – literally and figuratively – to a side's chances of success, controlling matches, dominating them.
This is the case for almost every team but especially so for Tottenham Hotspur, with the high-energy, hard-running brand of football implemented following Ange Postecoglou's appointment last summer transforming the mood and mentality.
The Australian was tasked with rebuilding an outfit that had suffered its lowest Premier League finish in 15 years, lost its talisman in club record scorer Harry Kane and its identity in the managerial misfire that saw Antonio Conte's tenure come to a screeching halt.
Postecoglou is threading together a structured and exciting squad that may well surpass that of his predecessors and the locus of these improvements lies with the shrewd and sharp recruitment that has lifted Tottenham's team and strengthened it with influential players such as Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Brennan Johnson.
One area that's been largely untouched thus far is central midfield, albeit with 21-year-old Pape Sarr fast-rising as one of the biggest talents in English football and Maddison acquired to sit in the No. 10 spot.
Bolstering the likes of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, it's shaping up to be quite the formidable engine room, with up-and-comers like Sarr proving to hold far greater quality than the likes of Oliver Skipp, Harry Winks and… Nabil Bentaleb.
Nabil Bentaleb's time at Spurs
Bentaleb starred in the Tottenham Hotspur Academy and made 27 appearances for the U21s in a standout midfield role before making his Premier League debut under Tim Sherwood in the 2013/14 season, against Southampton in a 3-2 victory. He started 11 games across the latter half of the campaign, a testament to the regard Sherwood held for the dynamic midfielder.
And so the now-29-year-old established himself as something of a first-team regular and retained this position at the start of Mauricio Pochettino's reign, featuring 35 times in all competitions throughout the 2014/15 campaign.
He fell out of favour as the Lilywhites improved under their Argentine manager, however, and after heading out on loan with Schalke for the 2016/17 campaign, the German side were enamoured with his qualities and forged ahead with a permanent deal.
15/16
7
2
0
0
14/15
31
29
0
3
13/14
19
13
0
1
With Bentaleb playing such a bit-part role in this third full season as a pro, it was only natural that he would be headed for the exit.
Now, as per FBref, Bentaleb ranks among the top 19% of central midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 16% for successful take-ons, the top 6% for interceptions and the top 11% for blocks per 90.
With Chelsea's Premier League record signing Moises Caicedo considered Bentaleb's most comparable player, it's clear to see that he offers many attributes that would appear suited for life in the English top-flight – indeed he has chalked up 58 Premier League appearances, and four assists.
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Daniel Levy turned a healthy gain on this former Tottenham talent.
