Tottenham: Gareth Bale should be brought back from his Madrid exile

Gareth Bale is utterly wasted at Madrid, but he wouldn’t be in North London

Jose Mourinho would delight to have the mercurial winger back at the club he first rose to prominence with; while he is getting older with a ridiculous wage, Gareth Bale can provide Tottenham lots both in production, as well as leadership and education for their young players.

For while Gareth Bale has sat, mostly, during the previous years, his skill hasn’t seemed to rot, only the desire to actually play for Zinedine Zidane.

While his move to China was pulled away at the last minute before the start of last season, a move back to England could prove both desirable, as well as advantageous for the player.

Gareth Bale: Tottenham bound once more?

The Welshman hasn’t played in England for some time, nearly a decade to this point; and yet, it is not difficult to imagine him picking up where he left off.

More from Tottenham Hotspur

• Bayern Munich reach agreement for Harry Kane
• Antonio Conte goes scorched earth on Tottenham
• Clement Lenglet set to join Tottenham on loan
• Tottenham set to sign Brazilian Richarlison
• Tottenham Hotspur hold off Arsenal for Champions League spot

While losing a step or two as one ages is normal, Bale has proven, when on the pitch, that he can still sprint with the best of them. Being able to rotate with young Steven Bergwijn or the relatively seasoned Son Heung-min could provide Tottenham a lot more danger and possibility.

The education that Gareth Bale can offer younger players when he wishes to be invested in the club, is massive. He is, as Rio Ferdinand recently stated, “a generational talent”; the trick is to have him interested in behaving as one.

When one imagines him alongside Harry Kane, it can become easy to see Tottenham as a more imaginative, dangerous and therefore, winning football team with Bale. That is, if he so decides that actually playing club football is very important to him anymore; it simply may not be.

Gareth Bale: A Sweet life in Spain

This is because Gareth Bale does live a pretty incredible life in Madrid; he plays on a team that wins at least one trophy every year, with usual hauls being greater of course. The weather is beautifully temperate, which allows for him to maintain his golfing habit just a ways from his beautiful home in a wealthy and private community. His family loves it too for similar and different reasons I’m sure; knowing these layers, it becomes more challenging to consider what would actually be best for Gareth Bale.

There is added nuance as well; while Madrid will have to continue to cough up the player’s wages for however long he remains with the club, his prospects for high-quality football may be damaged by the lack of actual game time. Perhaps he doesn’t care about this either though; perhaps retiring around 33-years-old is reasonable for him personally.

If so, then there may be a little actual incentive for him to return to Tottenham; however, if he does wish to continue to play moving forward, leaving Madrid could be best. Demonstrating his skill for either Tottenham, or any other further team down the line can best be done with a team that sincerely wishes to use the player; Madrid is not that team.

What about the wage?!

This is the largest sticking point for any club thinking of taking on Gareth Bale; his wages are remarkable for a player that rarely sees the pitch, although he is not alone around the world in this. For Tottenham, the player would either have to agree to reduced wages, or else Real Madrid would have to agree to shoulder some of that burden for the Hotspurs.

If some amalgamation of these recourses could be settled, it could very well be in everyone’s best interests. Real would get a player and a portion of his capital hit off of their books; Tottenham would have an old favorite player, back to presumably finish his career with them, while bringing silverware back to North London. Meanwhile, Bale would still be paid handsomely one way or another; he seems to hold almost all of the cards in any move, period.

With many teams improving around Tottenham, from Leicester City and Wolves, to Arsenal and Sheffield United, there can be no resting on the talent they already possess. With the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City always a threat to spend outrageously, how can any Hotspur think that sitting back is going to accomplish the aim, winning trophies.

If Jose Mourinho cannot get more out of his squad, he will have to get more into his squad so to speak; this is not the first time I’ve suggested a return to North London, and I think now is as good a time as ever. Are there other options for Mourinho and Tottenham? Absolutely; but he will need players and when inspired, there are few players in the world as memorable as Gareth Bale, Tottenham remembers.