As a Manchester United fan, I was thoroughly looking forward to the final game of the season. Not only was it Sir Alex’s final game in charge of my beloved, but the battle for fourth place was well and truly underway. Tottenham vs Sunderland and Arsenal vs Newcastle. For me, these were the two games which would influence the club Gareth Bale will be playing at next season. As it so happens, Arsenal finished fourth and Spurs fifth. Apart from Arsenal celebrating this fact as if they had actually won a trophy, which embarrassingly points out the state the club is in, this could only mean one thing. Bye Bye, Gareth Bale!
No Tottenham fan is going to want to hear it but sadly it is the truth. In Gareth Bale you have a world-class football player. Although he has promised to stay at Spurs, the door has now been slightly left ajar for one of Europe’s big boys to swoop in. Yes, he feels loyal to the club and yes, his sentiments are quite sweet. However, after countless displays of his excellent footballing talents, he is now hot property. As a United fan, I’d love to see him join the likes of Cleverley and Valencia in midfield. I’m pretty sure Real Madrid would slot him in nicely to their team, as well as any other club in the world. The fact of the matter is, managers want Bale and are willing to pay big money to get him.
Even if he stays next season, the likelihood of Spurs reaching that fourth spot isn’t so great. Then what? He’d have wasted a whole year of his career when he could have been learning from some of the world’s best. I think it’s time for Bale to start taking his career seriously. He loves football, there’s no doubt about that. He loves Tottenham, there’s definitely no question about his devotion to the club. Look where that got Van Persie though. For years and years he remained loyal to Arsenal. How many seasons did the club go without any silverware whatsoever? Yet, the very season he opted to move up North, he bagged himself a Premier League title. To somebody who has such a passion for the game, it may not all be about adding silverware to your own personal collection. What Spurs fans seem to forget is that this passion would be nurtured and would thrive in a setting where other top notch athletes were present. If you were in the same position, with the world at your feet, you’d opt to do the same and you know it.
This player is top class. He deserves to play in a top class team. Unfortunately that term does not apply to Tottenham. It’s as simple as that, I’m afraid.