Bentaleb completes Schalke switch

Schalke have confirmed midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has completed a loan move from Tottenham until the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

Bentaleb underwent a medical with the Bundesliga club last week and will look to resurrect his stuttering career at the Veltins Arena.

After breaking into the Tottenham first team in 2013, Bentaleb has slipped down the pecking order at White Hart Lane after ankle and knee problems, the 21-year-old only making five Premier League appearances last season.

Earlier on Thursday, Schalke director of sport Christian Heidel spoke positively about the 21-year-old's arrival but asked for patience as he settles into life in Germany.

"We expect him [Bentaleb] to participate in training this afternoon," Heidel told a media conference.

"Bentaleb is 100 per cent fit, but we need to be patient and give him a little time to integrate into the team."

Schalke also hope to complete a deal for Bentaleb's former Tottenham team-mate Benjamin Stambouli – now of Paris Saint-Germain - in the coming days after he also had a medical with the club.