Tottenham unlikely to keep Gareth Bale on loan for next season
According to The Times, Tottenham Hotspur are unlikely to extend the loan spell of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale beyond the ongoing campaign.
Bale secured a fairytale return to Tottenham in the last summer, signing on a season-long loan from the La Liga champions. Having endured a difficult last couple of years in the Spanish capital, it was expected that the 31-year-old would thrive back at his old stomping grounds.
However, that has hardly been the case as Bale has struggled for form and fitness since arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Wales international was carrying an injury when he made the move and had to wait for a while to make his second debut for the club.
Since then, the Real Madrid loanee has continued to be blighted by fitness problems and has hardly managed to make the kind of impact that was expected.
While it was always unlikely that Bale would hit the heights of his first spell with the club, the sheer amount of time that he has spent on the sidelines or warming the bench has been disappointing to see. Till date, the 31-year-old has featured just 12 times in all competitions, scoring three goals.
Bale is said to be happy at Tottenham and is claimed to be a popular member of the squad. However, another season at the club seems unlikely at this point of time. (h/t The Times)
Jose Mourinho, speaking ahead of the club’s weekend clash against Sheffield United, insisted that there have been no discussions whatsoever about the possibility of a second season.
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“There was not even a second of discussion about that. Gareth is a player on loan until the end of the season. Not one second of discussion. We are speaking about, of course, Gareth, himself, Real Madrid, Tottenham, but I promise you, not one second of discussion.”
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Bale. But, it goes without saying that the Welshman needs to up his game in the coming weeks.
