2013 was a massive year for Gareth Bale. The Welshman, secured a move to Real Madrid from Tottenham, becoming the then-most expensive player in the world.
At that point, Bale had achieved galactico status. The Bernabeu was to become his playground. He was expected to, over the years, make major contributions to Florentio Perez’s empire alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
And in truth, Bale did make some significant contributions upon his arrival at Real Madrid, but so far, those contributions have been nowhere near the magnitude many Real Madrid fans expected them to be. Largely because of the Welshman’s injury problems as well as his perpetual issues with the club itself, which at the moment, looks set to drive him away from La Liga and back to the league that propelled him to stardom, the Premier League.
Bale, at the age of 30, views the Premier League as a reset button. A chance to walk away from the political nature of Real Madrid and embrace the more static, and calm escape that is Tottenham.
For Bale, a return to Tottenham would be a chance at a do-over. A chance to really make his presence felt for the first time in a long time – because, as good as Bale has been in his injury-free spells at Real Madrid, there have been other players producing similar and even better outputs making Bale’s contributions seem almost insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
The thing, though, is Tottenham aren’t the same club that they used to be. They have experienced tremendous growth over the past decade due in large part to Maurico Pochettino’s efforts.
Despite their bad run this season, Spurs boast a group of quality players, some of whom are considered world-class in their positions and in the football world in general. As such, is a 30-year-old Bale, who is quite obviously looking to run away from Real Madrid an exciting prospect?
Should Tottenham fans really be excited about Bale potentially returning? Probably not.
Bale, as we all know is a quality player – Yes, he’d be able to somewhat bolster Tottenham’s attack, yes he’ll get fans buzzing but all things considered he’s unlikely to truly make an impact at the club – a big impact, in terms of Tottenham’s overall performances especially considering the amount of talent that Mourinho already has to work with.
Bale, at the age of 30 is already past his prime and his abilities have already begun to wane, and will only continue to as he goes into the twilight of his career. That fact, coupled with his injury problems and potentially high wage could make for a very bad signing for Tottenham.
Spurs would be much better off making a move for a younger, more energetic forward with lots of potential – a player like Jadon Sancho for example who over the past year has become one of the best players in the Bundesliga.
There’s no real need to sign Bale, because what he can realistically offer the club is not what the club really needs right now.
Luckily for Bale, though, even if he fails to get a return to his beloved Tottenham, he could still opt for a move to Manchester United with reports suggesting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to bring him to Old Trafford.
Bale has plenty of options, but considering what his expected output, Tottenham should make sure that they’re not one of those options.
I disagree. You have not demonstrated in this article why Bale would be a bed deal and just saying he is past his best years. How do you know? Firstly, Bale has the ability to be a game changer and create a goal out of nothing, he’s done it time-and-time again with Wales and Spurs. The pace in Spain is very different to the Premier league so given he’s 30 years old and looks after himself, I would say Bale is very much in his peak. Most players don’t drink and have much better access top medical professionals (dietitians, physios etc) so in theory players are able to play longer. From what I have seen the last 12 months Spurs lack fire power and killer instinct in the final third (as well as being unable to defend and keep a clean sheet). We haven’t scored in 3 Prem games in a row (a first since AvB days) even with Lucas, Dele, Son, Lemela & Eriksen on the pitch. With Bale up front he adds fire power and killer instinct. So whilst Christian appears to want to leave on a free I would approach Bale ASAP to see if he’s up for it. If not, then it’s put to bed I guess.
Absolutely Agree! Bale is a priblem for Real Madrid and Tottenham must not bail them out(pun intended)
Bale is overpriced, overpaid and over the hill.