Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Gareth Bale is on the brink of departure from Real Madrid after his relationship with manager Zinedine Zidane has broken down ‘irretrievably’, according to Sky Sports; but should Spurs bring him back to north London?
The Wales international scored eight goals and registered three assists in 21 La Liga appearances last season and became surplus to requirements after Los Blancos embarked on a summer overhaul as the likes of Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic joined the club.
The 30-year-old departed White Hart Lane for Real Madrid back in 2013 for £85million – a world-record deal at the time – but now, are the stars aligned for Bale to return to Spurs this summer?
The Lilywhites made an excellent start to their summer transfer window – signing highly-rated Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon for a club-record fee of £53.8m, but have failed to continue their impressive recruitment thus far.
Giovani Lo Celso is a name Spurs fans are extremely familiar with but a potential move for the 23-year-old is yet to come to fruition and they could be tempted to turn their attention to Bale.
However, Pochettino is building and creating a team that is going to be the future of the club. Following their Champions League success last season, Spurs have been given a platform to push into the top bracket of elite European football – a lack of signings this summer, though, is preventing that from happening.
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Despite the wonderful memories Bale provided during his tenure at White Hart Lane, it would be foolish to sign the Welsh winger now – especially as he would come with extortionate wages. Despite his obvious world-class calibre, his age now works against him as Pochettino looks to build a team for the future.
The reality is that while he can still be considered a world-class operator right now, he won’t be around for the long term and that goes against Pochettino’s recruitment policy.
Bale has achieved four Champions League winners medals during his stint in Spain – three of those under the guidance of Zidane – so the sudden disconnection between the pair is odd. The 30-year-old was reportedly close to a move to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning in a deal worth £1m-per-week, but that deal fell through and he remains at Real Madrid – for now.
Spurs are establishing themselves as a top-four club and it is imperative that signings made are going to benefit the club in the long run, not for a short period of time; signing Bale would destroy the structure of the club and what they are striving to achieve.