In the latest video for his YouTube channel, Football.london reporter Alasdair Gold has been discussing the latest goings-on at Tottenham Hotspur, with a focus on Spurs’ business in the transfer window and Jose Mourinho’s squad ahead of their next fixture against West Ham United.
During the video, the journalist was extremely complimentary of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and the way he negotiated the return of Gareth Bale. The winger left Spurs in 2013 to join Real Madrid in a world-record deal (per BBC) and after securing four Champions League titles with Los Blancos, he is now back with the north London club after re-joining on loan earlier in the summer.
The Welsh international is on huge wages with the Spanish giants but the Lilywhites were able to negotiate a deal which meant they would only be forced to pay 40% during his spell with the club (per BBC).
Here’s what Gold had to say about the Bale deal during his video:
“Honestly, that is one of the most phenomenal pieces of chairman negotiation. He gets his flak, Levy, and I do think sometimes his negotiation prevents Tottenham from doing deals, but in this case, you have just got to take your hat off and absolutely give it to the man. He got Gareth Bale, one of the world’s best players still – even at 31 – on loan for a season, with an option for a second season and Tottenham are just paying 40%, roughly, of his wages.
“Then, on top of that, when it was discovered the extent of Bale’s knee injury that he picked up on international duty, Levy re-negotiated things and managed to get it so that, in essence, Real Madrid were paying Tottenham’s share of the wages until he recovered.
“This is incredible, and it’s taking complete advantage of Madrid’s desperation to get him out of the door and just get any of his wages off the structure there at the Bernabeu so that they can bring in other players. It’s an amazing deal.”
TIF Thoughts…
Gold is clearly impressed with the way Levy was able to negotiate with the Bernabeu outfit in order to bring Bale in for a marginal fee, although, as he suggests, it does seem as if they were absolutely desperate to be rid of him.
Does Levy deserve a lot of credit for this Bale deal?
Yes
No
If he can rediscover anything near the sort of form he showed in his last season with the Lilywhites, when he hit 21 goals in 33 Premier League appearances, then it will surely prove to be an absolutely incredible deal for the club.