Pursuing former Tottenham great makes more sense after Kane’s injury

Now that Harry Kane has been ruled out until March, it makes even more sense for Tottenham to pursue Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.

It’s a polarizing topic amongst Tottenham circles. Many want the former Tottenham great back in north London while almost an equal share don’t. Those opposed to bringing him back will invariably talk about his weekly £600,000 salary, which is, admittedly, outrageously exorbitant. He’d have to take a large pay cut to play for the side responsible for his meteoric rise in world football.

Few players are selfless and sentimental enough to make that kind of hefty financial sacrifice. The jury is still out on whether Bale is part of that niche. Naysayers will also point to his lack of production with Real Madrid in the last year or so. He hasn’t exactly played much, and when he does, Bale is portrayed as a villainous figure in Madrid, one fitting the scapegoat mold.

Mind you, he is, at times, his own worst enemy. Displaying the infamous sign that read, “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order” further alienated him from the Galacticos faithful. Worse than that, he’s now abhorred by large portions of Madrid’s supporters.

Like Christian Eriksen, Bale has mentally checked out. While I’m not excusing his lack of productivity, this type of unprofessional, petulant behaviour is more a byproduct of the modern era than a blight on specific individuals.

I’m not exonerating him from of his current apathy at Madrid, but one thing is clear: Bale is still a world beater and will prove it once he arrives at his new club, wherever that is. With a new lease on life, Bale is a lethal striker of the football and can dribble, with the ball magically glued to his feet, at an astonishing top speed.

He is a match winner and, playing in an advanced position alongside Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli, would produce a goal return similar to that of Harry Kane’s. Even through Bale and Kane play in different positions, the Real Madrid man is versatile enough to play from the left, right or as the sole striker up front.

He can score in bundles and has the propensity to make those around him better. Not solely a goalscorer, Bale contributes with bundles of assists and is Christian Eriksen’s superior when it comes to dead ball deliveries.

The Sun reckons it will cost Eriksen and £26 million to get the deal across the line. This deal, if Bale is amenable to cutting his weekly pay in half, should be a no-brainer for Spurs’ top brass. At 30 years old, Bale still has three élite years left.

Inter also stands in the way of this deal, as the Serie A side is reportedly close to securing Eriksen’s signature. But Levy can easily, by raising the asking price, scupper those negotiations.

While the prospect of this deal coming to fruition is still unlikely, Levy has the influence to get this deal done. If that happens, watch before your eyes a truly magical Bale resurgence at the club where it all began.