Speaking recently on the Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano discussed the current situation of on-loan Tottenham Hotspur forward, Gareth Bale.
Since returning to Spurs from Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal back in September of last year, Bale has so far gone on to make a grand total of just two starts in the Premier League for Jose Mourinho’s side.
And, after being an unused substitute in the club’s 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion last weekend, the £18 million-rated 31-year-old was left out of the matchday squad to face Everton in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening, with Mourinho revealing in his post-match comments that the forward was unavailable for the fixture as he had requested time off training to work with a sports scientist because of some muscle pain.
The Welshman was one subject of conversation on a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, in which Romano discussed just how unhappy some people at Tottenham are with the current situation of Bale.
He said: “At the moment, if Gareth Bale will continue like this, he has no chance to stay. That’s what we can say. Also, talking with people around the club, they are not happy. They’re not happy.
“They’re expecting something different from Gareth Bale. They want Gareth Bale to change something in the second half of the season. If he will go on with this style of playing, style of training, Mourinho wants something different.
“They are paying the big salary of Gareth Bale because they want him to make the difference. At the moment he’s [not making a] difference. So, there are problems.
“Obviously Daniel Levy, as [do] other people in the club, hope that Gareth Bale could change the situation in the coming months – in the Europa League and in the Premier League – because they need to change something with him, or the player will be back at Real Madrid.
“Also, remember that when Tottenham signed Gareth Bale they said, ‘OK, you are on loan for one season, but we are prepared to keep you at Tottenham. We want you also for the future, not just for one season. So, it’s up to you’. But, at the moment, the performances from Gareth are not at this level.”
Should Spurs cut Bale's loan short?
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TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano’s comments regarding Gareth Bale…
Indeed, as Romano states, Tottenham are paying Bale a huge amount of money for his services, around 40% of his £600k weekly wage at Real Madrid, which works out at around £240k per week – ranking him as the club’s highest-paid player by a considerable distance.
And, when you consider the fact that Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who are paid £200k and £140k per week respectively, have contributed 26 goals and 17 assists between them in the Premier League so far this season, it is evident that Bale’s six appearances and one goal in the league does not represent good value for money whatsoever for Tottenham.