Tottenham Hotspur's youth academy is arguably in the best place it's ever been at the minute.

The two Harry's, Kane and Winks, are the best two examples of Spurs success stories right now but in recent times, the likes of Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp have also broken through.

But it's not always been the case as some players have failed to live up to the hype - none more so than Nabil Bentaleb, who went from being a favourite of Tim Sherwood's to a forgotten man under Mauricio Pochettino.

"I think he's been great. I know Bentaleb, I know what he possesses. He trains like every day is the last day in the world and that's a great trait to have for a young kid," once explained Sherwood.

He wasn't the only one to tout his potential though, Michael Cox, who is now The Athletic's tactical guru, once likened him to a legendary defensive midfielder, he said: "Bentaleb is happy to push up the pitch and make quick interceptions to recover the ball immediately, in a manner reminiscent of Sergio Busquets."

Having played 29 times for Sherwood, Bentaleb could only muster up another 46 appearances, primarily in cups rather than the Premier League, under Pochettino, who would quickly send him out on loan to Schalke 04.

Where is Bentaleb now?

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After enjoying a successful stint on loan, the Bundesliga outfit sanctioned a permanent move for the Algerian powerhouse with Spurs raking in a whopping £17m, all of which is profit as he came through the ranks at Hotspur Way.

It has to be said, Daniel Levy played a blinder with that deal.

The 25-year-old has twice been dropped from their first-team squad due to disciplinary issues.

According to Bild reporter Marc Siekmann, the midfielder has a problem with leadership from above and often ignored the demands of his manager.

Such problems led to a loan move back to the Premier League during the January transfer window where he joined Newcastle United, playing alongside Danny Rose again for the second half of the campaign.

The fact that the Magpies didn't turn that deal into a permanent one speaks volumes - per WhoScored, Bentaleb averaged 1.6 fouls, 1.9 tackles and only 0.7 key passes per game from his 12 league appearances.

Now valued at a miserable £3.6m by Transfermarkt, Spurs have clearly been the winners in this deal. A true masterclass from the tough-negotiator, Mr Levy.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Jose Mourinho his new Nemanja Matic next summer...