It is no doubt that at a point in time, Gareth Bale was probably the frontrunner to take the mantle of ‘Best Player in the World’ from Messi and Ronaldo. No one could blame anyone for such a lofty expectation given he was one of the best, if not, the best young player at the time. While that prediction did not come true, it’s certainly not the case that he was absolutely futile throughout his tenure at Real Madrid. Quite the contrary- in his first few seasons he was agile and dominant on the field and while he was rather clingy with the ball he did have that physicality and hunger that made Real break the bank in the first place. Of course, there was his famous darting goal against Barcelona from the left wing; something Real fans will not forget any time soon. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Bale was no exception. Injury after injury saw Gareth Bale sit out a lot of games. Of the roughly 7 years he’s been at the Bernabeu, he has played in 155 games. Not a bad tally of matches but it should’ve been a lot higher if it weren’t for the slew of injuries from 2014-2017, the numbers across the board would’ve been higher for sure. A lot of people say that it was because of these injuries that he didn’t ultimately grow into one of the best players in the world and when you look at the facts and consider the form, that statement is not exactly without merit.
It has been reverberating in the grapevine of football that Zidane wanted to sell Gareth Bale in his first go at managing the club. Now that he’s back at management the same speculation has resurfaced but it is far more potent. It seems evident now more so that ever that Gareth Bale will leave the club for alternate pastures. Now let’s dive into the speculation.
Why for potential sale?
According to the majority of football fans, Bale is not one of the best players in the squad, especially in regards to the most recent season. Very few players in Real Madrid performed according to and beyond expectations in the latest season and Bale was not one of them. Real ended up 3rd in the La Liga winning only 1 of their last 5 matches in the league. It was bitterly disappointing to fans who have seen their boys in white lift trophies (most notably UCL) year after year. With Zidane’s return came the promise of jaw-dropping transfers that would see the club almost go through an eagerly anticipated metamorphosis. The thing that adds even more validity to this is the fact that Madrid have spent €250 million already in this window( Jovic, Hazard, Militao). But even if you have Madrid pockets you need some adjustment. Bale would be one of the targets to bring balance to that spending spree and possibly bring in a player through a swap-deal. Finally, there’s the salary problem. Bale is one of the most expensive players, not only in the club but in the world, commanding a mammoth €17 million per year. There seems to be no way to reduce that amount at the moment but Real has to make room in the budget for the new players to come. Because of that, they are trying to find clubs that can take Bale from their hands. It’s unfortunate that the man who has possibly scored the greatest UCL goal of all time is currently one of the biggest liabilities in the world but Real Madrid are adamant to bring in newer players and it’s clear that they need some wiggle room in the salary department.
POTENTIAL SUITORS:
Manchester United:
Another big name team that underperforms; this season saw the Red Devils drop to 6th place at the PL table and win zero trophies. Man United are, however, among the richest brands in sports raking in some of the highest revenues. Suffice it to say, they can definitely afford Bale’s salary. With inexperienced yet talented wingers( Rashford, Martial), Bale could bring in that combination of extra energy and experience to rejuvenate the club. With Pogba linked to a Los Blancos move, a Bale-Pogba swap seems extremely likely as well. Of course, there’s also the likelihood of a loan deal to remove the salary burden from Real.
Tottenham Hotspur:
Gareth Bale is already a legend at Tottenham Hotspur where he garnered the PFA Young Player of the Year award during his ‘07 to ‘13 run. With the upcoming season, it looks like certain players might bid farewell to the North London club, the most notable being Christian Eriksen. The Danish midfielder who had quite the stellar season with 12 assists in the league is linked to both Man United and Real Madrid with swap deals and subsequent change not out of the question. Goes without saying that this would open up the prospect of buying a lot of big-name players for Tottenham. This might see the club opt for Gareth Bale. The only catch is the salary. Paying that salary will certainly prove challenging for the club and in effect make this move a sizeable gamble.
Paris Saint Germain:
That club that almost single-handedly inflated the transfer window forever. PSG seem to have pockets deeper than the Mariana Trench. They are among the most valuable clubs and also generate some of the highest turnover(€542million in ‘17-’18). They have the top two transfers of all time under their belt( Neymar and Mbappe). With Neymar and Mbappe linked to Real Madrid, you could never rule out a move for Gareth Bale. He could provide that necessary balance if either of the front three (Cavani, Neymar, Mbappe) leave the club and he could still do damage from an RM position if all of them stay.
China and the USA:
These 3 nations have seen spikes in football investment over the years. China has lured away from the likes of Oscar, Tevez(who has since left), Hulk, Lavezzi. All of them have received enormous salaries in China. Safe to say, there’s a good chance, a club like SIPG(Shanghai) or Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao could whisk away the Welshman with uncanny amounts of money. The USA has been a traditional haven for a lot of well-established players. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rooney and Henry and Beckham in the past have all moved to the States and most of them ended up with lucrative contracts. Even a place the UAE could also prove to be an option for Bale with the constant barrage of reports claiming lofty football salaries.
The Conclusion:
The truth is Bale could likely stay at Real Madrid as there is still nothing concrete in the works. It is well-known at this point that he is disinterested in leaving Madrid soil and there is no report of any pay-cut. Man United are the most likely to buy him if he does get transferred, looking at the abundance of evidence, most notably the Reddevils’ purse strings.
