Peter Crouch believes Tottenham should make a move for Gareth Bale this summer. The Real Madrid forward fell out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring and creating only five goals in 2019, and he’s struggled for playing time in recent weeks too.
Crouch wrote in his column for the Daily Mail: “It would make a lot of sense. I think (his searing pace) would pay a lot of dividends. When Gareth is fit and healthy, he is one of the most exciting players in the world. I’d love to see him back here.”
Bale has even been offered out on loan by Real, although Tottenham may not be keen to pay a £10m loan fee and £250k-per-week to bring the 29-year-old back to London for a season. Given the Welsh international has missed 72 league games since joining Real in 2013, his fitness can’t be guaranteed.
That’s not to say the powerful wide-man wouldn’t improve the Tottenham squad, however. Bale has scored and created 166 goals in 231 appearances in all competitions for Real, 20 of which have come this season, but he may not provide as much creativity as Crouch is expecting.
Bale has made only 18 chances (averaging one every 100 minutes) whipped in 70 crosses with 16% accuracy (one every 163 minutes) and made 24 successful dribbles (one every 75 minutes). Bale is no longer beating his opposite number in one-on-ones and he isn’t making the right decisions in possession.
He’d score goals in the Premier League, but is Bale really worth Tottenham paying £23m in fees and wages over 12 months? Crouch hasn’t thought this one through.