After weeks of speculation and rumours, it appears that the prolonged transfer saga of Gareth Bale has finally reached a conclusion with Tottenham Hotspur announcing re-signing of Welsh captain on a year-long loan deal from Real Madrid. The 31-year-old had left the White Hart Lane for Real Madrid back in 2013 for a world-record fee of £89.5million. During his time with the Los Blancos he helped them to win 2 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League crowns and a Copa Del Rey in what was a golden period for the Madrid based club. We take a look at if return of Gareth Bale can help Spurs secure a trophy.
Bale, who will be wearing the no.9 shirt will only add to Jose Mourinho’s attacking options who had previously tried to sign the winger during his spell at Manchester United. With an already deadly attacking force consisting the likes Harry Kane, Heung Min Son and Lucas Moura, Spurs could well be on their way to end their long-running trophy drought.
Bale after completing his medical in Madrid had flown to London on Friday alongside teammate Sergio Reguilon who signed a separate 5-year permanent deal with Tottenham on the very same day. According to the ESPN, the North-London side have agreed to pay £250,000 out of the £600,000 a week salary the Welsh star earns during the tenure of his 1-year loan deal but the deal does not include any obligation to buy Bale next summer.
After initial success in Madrid, the Welshman’s appearance on the pitch had become a seldom phenomenon ever since Zidane was reinstated as Los Blancos’ first-team manager. Also, his bad track record with injuries and poor game form proved to be a major obstacle for him in cementing his place back in the starting XI. That combined with Zidane’s preference for Isco and young winger Rodrygo on the right-wing and Karim Benzema carrying the entire strike force with ease, Gareth Bale never got an opportunity for a comeback.
Also, his desire to leave the club was never a secret especially since Real Madrid blocked his move to the Chinese Super League which could see him earn €1 million per week. During international duty for Wales, Bale held up a Welsh flag that said “Wales, Golf, Madrid.” This clearly showed that Bale wanted to leave Real Madrid and he preferred playing golf more than playing football under Zidane. Bale’s bitterness against his current club became even more established when Bale started posing as a golf player for pictures during practice sessions and he also took a nap on the bench during a game after Zidane did not pick him to play all of which gained huge social media attraction.
With an opening day defeat at the hands of Everton and an unconvincing win against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, return of Gareth Bale would come as a huge relief to Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff who have been complaining about the physical strain the squad is under due to competing under the Premier League, Europa League and the soon to begin Carabao Cup. However, this turns out Bale’s addition to the side has reignited enthusiasm amongst Spurs’ fans in what could be a dawn of an era at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
