By Harvey Byrne
Tottenham announced that Nabil Bentaleb would be leaving the club permanently on Friday afternoon – and Spurs fans on Twitter have slammed the decision.
The 22-year-old midfielder originally joined Bundesliga side Schalke in the summer on a season-long loan with many of the belief that it was a chance for him to prove himself and get some first team football under his belt.
However, Sky Sports reported earlier in the month that there was a £16million permanent agreement if he played in 20 league matches for Schalke.
The Algerian reached that total in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Cologne and now the official Tottenham Twitter account have confirmed his departure.
We have reached agreement with Schalke for the permanent transfer of Nabil Bentaleb this summer. We wish Nabil all the best for the future. pic.twitter.com/3mFztc45xQ
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 24, 2017
A number of Tottenham fans have shared their disgust at the decision on social media, while one simply labelled the last two days as a “write-off” following Spurs’ aggregate defeat against Gent on Thursday evening.
Here are a selection of their messages on Twitter:
Given how thin our squad has looked recently, our treatment of Bentaleb still baffles me #thfc https://t.co/hlnpmbNLVn
— Tom Prickett (@tjp_1984) February 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/Dierbetes/status/835173195888099330
Can't help but feel we will regret selling Bentaleb. Was very good in Poch's 1st season, terrible luck with injuries last, Dembele and Dier
— Christian (@Christianjw92) February 24, 2017
Became integral, he's still young and learning, won't find a better replacement for the money we've made from him. #COYS
— Christian (@Christianjw92) February 24, 2017
Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason were two players who's contribution to our club go unnoticed. Sad to see Nabil officially gone, love that man.
— E-Spurs USA 🇺🇸 (@e_spurs_usa) February 24, 2017
Can these two days get worse 😣 pic.twitter.com/mZy5HXEOiq
— Andrew (@Datey11) February 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/kallan_thfc/status/835173466668167171
superb. This will help with net spend table. 👏 good work #COYS
— David Thomas (@davlathom) February 24, 2017
Bentaleb made the switch to Tottenham in the 2012 winter window after having a trial with fellow English side Birmingham.
He made his debut for the club in 2013 and went on to play in 66 matches for the north London side.
The player was still contracted with Spurs until 2020 after agreeing a new deal in the summer of 2015, but his future now lies with Schalke, where he has provided five goals and five assists in 27 matches this season.
In other Tottenham news, Jermaine Jenas has labelled this former Spurs midfielder an absolute disgrace.
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