It has been almost two weeks now since Tottenham Hotspur pulled off an incredible coup in bringing Gareth Bale back on loan from Real Madrid. There is no secret of course that Bale was miserable in Madrid, having been frozen out of the squad by Zinedine Zidane. As exciting as this was, my buddy Joe Cianciotto was quick to taper my excitement and reminded me that this was not 2013 Gareth Bale who was coming back to Spurs.
The question with regards to this loan move then, is whether Bale will do well, and whether or not the deal makes sense.
Fitness and Injuries
The first step here will of course be to get Bale match fit, given the massive lack of action that he has seen in the last 12 months, this will take some work. There is however a huge desire from Bale to get out there playing, and given how professional he is on the training pitch, it is unlikely to take long. Now there is the topic of injuries, something which Bale has struggled from during his time at Madrid, so much so in fact that the crowd turned on him as a result. Bale however has missed just as many games in the last couple of years as Harry Kane, so the injury prone tag may be a touch harsh. Bale also was deemed to be injured on a number of occasions, when it was clear that there was something else awry behind the scenes.
Has He Still Got It?
Something which the Welshman has been criticized for at Madrid is creating magic moments but not doing so with enough consistency. If we look at the goal which he scored in the Champions League final for example then you would certainly think that he is every bit as world class as he always was. This of course is just one occasion and we do have to remember that he no longer possesses the pace that he once did. With all of this being said however, Bale’s performances for Wales, usually getting him the man of the match award, certainly show that he really does still have it. If Bale can link up well with Kane and Son then this could be a real renaissance for him.
Does It Make Sense?
This is a deal which makes absolute sense for all involved, Real now have what they considered to be a problematic player off their hands, Bale gets to leave the city which loathes him and Tottenham get their hero back, at cut price, who still has a good few years left in him.
As to whether Bale will do well with Spurs this time around is of course still up for debate. What we do expect however is a happier Bale, looking to prove those haters wrong and bring that winning mentality to the club, something which has lacked for some time.
