Gareth Bale

[JKendall13]

Everyone knows that Zidane and Real Madrid fans are chatting absolute shit when they degrade Bale’s quality. He’s a world class footballer clearly. But they do have a legitimate gripe about his injury history, it’s been pretty poor in his time at Madrid.

If we signed him, he’d probably be on at least £250-300k/week for four years. He’s 30 and next season will be his 14th season of top flight football. There’s a lot of mileage on his legs. It’s a huge gamble for the club to blow past our highest earners to buy a 30 year old who has already had trouble with fitness. There’s no doubting it could pay off, considering healthy Bale is world class. But it could also end like Sanchez or Özil.

We are putting together a young side that will be peaking over the next 3-4 years. I’m not sure tying ourselves to aging Bale’s massive wages over that period is the best idea. Could hold us back getting other crucial pieces in that are more in accordance with our squad’s timeline.

Very tough call imo.

 

[yankspurs]

Everyone knows that Zidane and Real Madrid fans are chatting absolute shit when they degrade Bale’s quality. He’s a world class footballer clearly. But they do have a legitimate gripe about his injury history, it’s been pretty poor in his time at Madrid.

If we signed him, he’d probably be on at least £250-300k/week for four years. He’s 30 and next season will be his 14th season of top flight football. There’s a lot of mileage on his legs. It’s a huge gamble for the club to blow past our highest earners to buy a 30 year old who has already had trouble with fitness. There’s no doubting it could pay off, considering healthy Bale is world class. But it could also end like Sanchez or Özil.

We are putting together a young side that will be peaking over the next 3-4 years. I’m not sure tying ourselves to aging Bale’s massive wages over that period is the best idea. Could hold us back getting other crucial pieces in that are more in accordance with our squad’s timeline.

Very tough call imo.

Kane is 26. Eriksen and Son are 27. Jan and Hugo are 32. Toby is 30. We are currently in our peak years with this squad. Realistically have 1-3 years left with the team in its current make up. Bale coming in would put it over the top.

 

[Klinsmannesque]

As much as I doubt this will happen, am I correct in saying this hasn't been poo poo'd by JJ, herc or Val?

What’s more, I remember when he left, JJ was consistent throughout the window saying he’s going. Remember a lot of ITK’s saying differently. Until he comes in and shuts down the latest speculation I’m hoping. He’s also been very quiet recently alluding to sensitivity - something’s cooking in the kitchen IMO.

Plus, it’s well known Levy was highly regarded by Barnett and Bale throughout his transfer to Real, if there’s a deal to be done, I think we do it

 

[easley91]

Kane is 26. Eriksen and Son are 27. Jan and Hugo are 32. Toby is 30. We are currently in our peak years with this squad. Realistically have 1-3 years left with the team in its current make up. Bale coming in would put it over the top.

Bale is a serial winner. He is only 30 same as Toby. Not sure what the issue with having a player of that experience and quality is?

 

[ButchCassidy]

KDB is. He is genuinely world class and probably the best player in the league. I love watching him play, an amazing player that consistently produces magic. A shame injuries have dogged his career because I think he would go down as one of the all time greats, as it is I’m just going to enjoying watching him play football whilst he still can

Not to mention a permanent mark of shame for Chelsea, which is always fun.

 

[SpartanSpur]

As much as I doubt this will happen, am I correct in saying this hasn't been poo poo'd by JJ, herc or Val?

It's probably one that can never be fully pooh-poohed until his move elsewhere is confirmed. Seems well established that both parties are interested in a deal if it becomes feasible financially.

 

[yankspurs]

Bale is a serial winner. He is only 30 same as Toby. Not sure what the issue with having a player of that experience and quality is?

Exactly. We are here now. We have to embrace our stature. We cannot be afraid of it. We have a side is that one player away from glory. Gareth Bale is that player and MUCH more. Fact is, he is still top 3 in the world.

 

[Jamie Bartolo]

Real are very keen to get him out of their club. It will be a very hard deal but if there is one man who can negotiate a tough deal like this it is surely Daniel Levy.

 

[Cinemattis]

Can someone with a better memory (and/or interweb searching skills) than me please help me if I´m totally in the wrong with the following?

I´m certain to have read - I think it might have been posted or linked to in here - that Levy was willing to pay Bale many times over the club´s then ceiling for wages before he was sold to Real Madrid? It sounds astronomical (for Levy, for the club and for that time), but I can´t shake the notion that it was rumoured to be about what Kane´s wages are now. Or even more than that?

I know it´s six years ago, water under the bridge, things have changed (Bale´s status in the footballing world not the least), etc. But does anyone else remember to have read the same thing? I remember it as being from a very reliable source.

IF (and this is a huge if) this has any truth in it, could it be that Levy has (had) somewhat of a softspot for him - or more likely: saw the commercial value of paying that sort of money to keep him. Could it be that Levy still sees a business upside to having Bale at the club? If so, we might not be that far off the mark as some seem to think. Saying that: I don´t think it´s even feasible that Bale leaves RM without the Franco-sympathizers paying a good chunk of the money Bale´s contractually obliged to.

An other issue:

Thinking about social media followers, the potential upside to a rejuvinated and return to glory story for Bale would be absolutely enormous for Tottenham. That is commercially/from a business perspective as well as in results and the sporting side of things. With Hazard gone and Kane being who he is (we all love love him to bits, but he´s just slightly "boring" and too pc for the world market tbh), a Gareth Bale firing on all cylinders would be The Superstar of the Premier League.

As a media professional myself, just the story of "Bale returning to Tottenham" is worth tons of money in world wide press coverage alone. Coverage no one at the club is even close to be able to deliver (except from Son in South Korea and possibly in Eastern Asia). To build Tottenham Hotspur as a truly global brand we need more than one lost Champions League final. Everywhere in the world you see people in ManU/RM/Barca/Chelsea shirts. It takes more than top 4 spots in the PL to get to that level. Arsenal shirts are getting less and less frequent outside London (thankfully!). Continued progress in results will help our club to grow, but there´s no doubt so too will an international name like Gareth Bale. One can discuss if he´s a better footballer or not than Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Harry Kane, Salah, etc. But I´m in no doubt that he´s a bigger name still than all of them. A "born again" Bale would be astronomical for our club´s brand and the business side of things. And like it or not: football today on the level we´re now at is a business first and foremost.

Oh, and: a Bale back to even something similar to his former levels would be "astronomical" for the results and sporting side of things as well. But that´s probably evident even for the naysayers.

 

[JKendall13]

Kane is 26. Eriksen and Son are 27. Jan and Hugo are 32. Toby is 30. We are currently in our peak years with this squad. Realistically have 1-3 years left, tbh. Bale coming in would put it over the top.

I think our window is Kane’s next 5 years and all team-building should focus on that. Our best two PL teams were 15/16 and 16/17, where Kane, Eriksen, Son, and Alli were the young players on our squad. The last two seasons have seen us starting to transition away from those sides, we lost Walker and Dembele and Wanyama got crocked. I think this season is the last hurrah with Toby/Jan/Rose and Jan’s minutes will need to be scaled back and Toby will likely leave and need to be replaced by a NDombele-esque signing. We also still don’t know if Eriksen will commits long term.

I think our next two windows, if done successfully, should set us up for Kane, Alli, Winks, and Son’s prime. We’ve brought in NDombele and hopefully will follow with Lo Celso. If Skipp comes good, there’s your midfield sorted for the next few years in one window. Plus Sessengnon is your long-term LB replacement.

Then next summer is going to be the year to sort out the backline. Toby seems likely to walk and Jan will transition into being club leader and useful rotation option and hopefully we’ll bring in a marquee CB signing to have 3 top CBs of improved Sanchez/Foyth/new signing. Then sort out RB.

In two seasons you’ll have Skipp, Parrott, Foyth, Sessengnon, Clarke, and any other young signings/academy players in their early 20s with a couple of seasons under their belt supporting your core of (Kane, Winks, Son, Dele, Eriksen, Sanchez, Moura, Dier) plus your big signings (NDombele, Lo Celso, expensive CB, expensive RB) and a couple over 30 veterans (Lloris, Vertonghen, and maybe Sissoko).

I’m just a man on a forum and don’t know much, but that’d be my approach to team building. Everything we’ve done in the Pochettino era has been about maintaining sustainability for the future and I’m just not sure Bale fits that MO. It’d be a blast and half to have him back, but I think a more sustained and intelligent long-term approach is more likely to lead us to promised land than risking it all on 30 year old Bale.

 

[Ronwol196061]

Bale can be a game changer but thats because it digs in and decides with confidence in his skill he can change things given the chance.

We have at times been slow moving the ball upfield. That will totally change now I'm sure.
With more fluidity will come more goals.

We already have a bunch of players that can make things happen.
Poch must be tweaking the system as the ITK has suggested. NDombele takes some risks.It supports the change.

Do we need Bale?
He would come in handy but shouldn't we make sure Eriksen or/and Lo Celso are there,the backs are covered etc first.

 

[ajspurs]

You would think Bayern would be desperate to get him, especially as they look set to miss out on Sane.

 

[SpartanSpur]

I think our window is Kane’s next 5 years and all team-building should focus on that. Our best two PL teams were 15/16 and 16/17, where Kane, Eriksen, Son, and Alli were the young players on our squad. The last two seasons have seen us starting to transition away from those sides, we lost Walker and Dembele and Wanyama got crocked. I think this season is the last hurrah with Toby/Jan/Rose and Jan’s minutes will need to be scaled back and Toby will likely leave and need to be replaced by a NDombele-esque signing. We also still don’t know if Eriksen will commits long term.

I think our next two windows, if done successfully, should set us up for Kane, Alli, Winks, and Son’s prime. We’ve brought in NDombele and hopefully will follow with Lo Celso. If Skipp comes good, there’s your midfield sorted for the next few years in one window. Plus Sessengnon is your long-term LB replacement.

Then next summer is going to be the year to sort out the backline. Toby seems likely to walk and Jan will transition into being club leader and useful rotation option and hopefully we’ll bring in a marquee CB signing to have 3 top CBs of improved Sanchez/Foyth/new signing. Then sort out RB.

In two seasons you’ll have Skipp, Parrott, Foyth, Sessengnon, Clarke, and any other young signings/academy players in their early 20s with a couple of seasons under their belt supporting your core of (Kane, Winks, Son, Dele, Eriksen, Sanchez, Moura, Dier) plus your big signings (NDombele, Lo Celso, expensive CB, expensive RB) and a couple over 30 veterans (Lloris, Vertonghen, and maybe Sissoko).

I’m just a man on a forum and don’t know much, but that’d be my approach to team building. Everything we’ve done in the Pochettino era has been about maintaining sustainability for the future and I’m just not sure Bale fits that MO. It’d be a blast and half to have him back, but I think a more sustained and intelligent long-term approach is more likely to lead us to promised land than risking it all on 30 year old Bale.

I agree will all of this but I'd probably still run down the street shouting 'we're gonna win the lot!' if Bale came back!

 

[fortworthspur]

I liked Zidane in the past but he's been a tool in this saga. He said "Bale was born to play at Madrid" when he wanted him 6 years ago.

 

[JKendall13]

I agree will all of this but I'd probably still run down the street shouting 'we're gonna win the lot!' if Bale came back!

Oh I’m 100% the same, it’d be fucking incredible. My heart wants Bale back but my head says it’s way too risky.

 

[Gbspurs]

Bale is a serial winner. He is only 30 same as Toby. Not sure what the issue with having a player of that experience and quality is?

Also when did 30 become old?!

 

[yankspurs]

I think our window is Kane’s next 5 years and all team-building should focus on that. Our best two PL teams were 15/16 and 16/17, where Kane, Eriksen, Son, and Alli were the young players on our squad. The last two seasons have seen us starting to transition away from those sides, we lost Walker and Dembele and Wanyama got crocked. I think this season is the last hurrah with Toby/Jan/Rose and Jan’s minutes will need to be scaled back and Toby will likely leave and need to be replaced by a NDombele-esque signing. We also still don’t know if Eriksen will commits long term.

I think our next two windows, if done successfully, should set us up for Kane, Alli, Winks, and Son’s prime. We’ve brought in NDombele and hopefully will follow with Lo Celso. If Skipp comes good, there’s your midfield sorted for the next few years in one window. Plus Sessengnon is your long-term LB replacement.

Then next summer is going to be the year to sort out the backline. Toby seems likely to walk and Jan will transition into being club leader and useful rotation option and hopefully we’ll bring in a marquee CB signing to have 3 top CBs of improved Sanchez/Foyth/new signing. Then sort out RB.

In two seasons you’ll have Skipp, Parrott, Foyth, Sessengnon, Clarke, and any other young signings/academy players in their early 20s with a couple of seasons under their belt supporting your core of (Kane, Winks, Son, Dele, Eriksen, Sanchez, Moura, Dier) plus your big signings (NDombele, Lo Celso, expensive CB, expensive RB) and a couple over 30 veterans (Lloris, Vertonghen, and maybe Sissoko).

I’m just a man on a forum and don’t know much, but that’d be my approach to team building. Everything we’ve done in the Pochettino era has been about maintaining sustainability for the future and I’m just not sure Bale fits that MO. It’d be a blast and half to have him back, but I think a more sustained and intelligent long-term approach is more likely to lead us to promised land than risking it all on 30 year old Bale.

That 30 year old probably has a good 2-3 years left at the top of his game. I cannot believe there is a debate around wanting one of the best players to ever put on our shirt, who is a top 3 player in the game, back in our shirt.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Also when did 30 become old?!

To most people under 21, thirty is fucking ancient- the selfish toss weasels

 

[$hoguN]

Also when did 30 become old?!

Dunno mate, but I’m 32 and feel like I’m all falling to pieces ?

 

[SpartanSpur]

Oh I’m 100% the same, it’d be fucking incredible. My heart wants Bale back but my head says it’s way too risky.

The beauty of the situation is that it's not desperate for him to come in. He'd be the icing on the cake, but if the mooted happens (GLC, RS, CE stays) then we are building a squad capable of anything without him.

Just hope he doesn't go to a direct rival.