On the latest episode of the View from The Lane podcast for The Athletic, Jack Pitt-Brooke, James Maw and Charlie Eccleshare have been discussing the latest goings-on at Tottenham Hotspur, including the imminent signings of Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid.
The Welsh international is set to join Spurs on a loan deal from Los Blancos, returning to the north London club following his world-record move from the Lilywhites to Madrid in 2013. Unsurprisingly, he was a key topic of discussion during the recent podcast and Eccleshare was keen to share the details of how the deal came about, suggesting that chairman Daniel Levy was very much the driving force behind the loan signing.
Here’s what he had to say about the 31-year-old’s transfer during the podcast:
“I heard from quite a few people that it’s very much Daniel Levy driving it. One source said it was Daniel’s deal, which I think he would be perfectly happy with, for that to be known. I was also told he’s always had a soft spot for Bale and this is something he’d been planning on doing.
“So it’s come from Daniel Levy, and then my understanding is that it was presented/told to Jose Mourinho that it was happening. The response was ‘well, who wouldn’t want Gareth Bale?’ But it wasn’t one that he was particularly driving himself.
“A big signing like Bale ties into hiring Jose Mourinho, doing an Amazon Prime documentary, signing Alex Morgan. This is all geared towards making Spurs this big super-club. So it makes sense on a number of levels, and obviously there’s the emotional side, but yeah – my understanding is that it’s Daniel’s deal.”
TIF Thoughts…
From what Eccleshare suggests, Levy has been keen to bring Bale back to the club for some time and his signing is another example of Spurs trying to establish themselves as a super-club within football.
Are you pleased to hear about Levy's role in securing this deal?
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If the Welshman can rediscover the form he showed in his earlier years with Madrid when he returns to North London, then we’re sure that he will be a very good signing for Mourinho’s side indeed.