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Holtby eyeing the exit?

Tottenham Hotspur have started giving time to Nabil Bentaleb and have kept the possibility of recalling Tom Carroll open. With too much competition for his place, Lewis Holtby could head home.

Paul Gilham

Lewis Holtby has struggled for form and playing time since arriving last January in what appeared to be a massive coup at the time. Given that Tottenham Hotspur paid Schalke just £2m for him, they're still almost certainly set to make a profit on the German international, but he's still been disappointing. And with Nabil Bentaleb and Tom Carroll waiting in the wings, he could find his opportunities limited, even if Christian Eriksen goes down injured and Carroll doesn't return from QPR this spring.

Speaking to BILD, Holtby's agent Marcus Noack said that his client is considering other options. The Guardian had an English translation.

"Lewis is desperate to play, which is why we are looking intensively for solutions," Noack told the Bild newspaper. "Schalke is an interesting option."

Schalke just picked up Sidney Sam from Bayer Leverkusen, a move that could signal the eventual sale of Julian Draxler. Still, Sam and Draxler are going to play together, and as good as Max Meyer is, he's 18 and can't be counted on to fill Draxler's shoes right away. If Schalke sell Draxler, they'll need an attacking midfielder and will have money to burn. If they buy Holtby back for 2-3 times what Spurs paid for him, doesn't everybody win?