Speaking recently on The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, Barry Glendenning discussed the impending return of Gareth Bale to Tottenham Hotspur, dubbing the deal a ”PR masterstroke” by Daniel Levy.
After leaving Spurs for Real Madrid back in 2013, in what was then a world-record £85.3 million deal, the Welshman went on to make 251 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 105 goals and providing 68 assists, helping his side to win two La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, four FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, one Copa del Rey and one Supercopa de Espana.
However, despite this remarkable haul of trophies and his impressive goalscoring record, Bale featured just 16 times in La Liga for Madrid last season, with the Daily Mail reporting earlier this month that the 31-year-old had fallen out of favour at Real under Zinedine Zidane.
The Telegraph then reported that the Spanish club would be willing to pay half of Bale’s £600,000-a-week wages, in order to facilitate his departure from the club in the current transfer window.
It would seem that this is a deal which Spurs have taken up, as it has been reported that Bale has completed a medical with his former club, ahead of a rather sensational return to north London.
Speaking about the move, Barry Glendenning said on The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast that the deal to bring Bale back to the club is a “PR masterstroke” by Daniel Levy.
He said: “Well, it’s kind of a PR masterstroke from Daniel Levy. He’s getting him reasonably cheaply; I think the deal, should it go through, will cost Tottenham about £15 million for the season in wages.
“It’s a comparative bargain to other players they could have brought in. I would expect him to do well if he can stay fit.”
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TIF Thoughts…
It is easy to see why Glendenning feels that Bale’s return to Spurs is a “masterstroke” by Levy, as it is evident how much the Tottenham faithful adore the Welshman, as well as the fact that the loan deal to bring him to the club will only cost Spurs, according to the journalist, around £15 million in wages – rather than the £600,000-a-week (or £31.2 million-a-year) that The Telegraph report Bale was on at Madrid.
As for how Bale gets on at Tottenham, only time will tell, however, after seven years away from the club, it will certainly be odd to see the attacker in a Spurs shirt once again.