Gareth Bale is on the verge of becoming the most expensive player in football history with a £93-million move to Real Madrid expected to be completed this weekend.
Finally the summer transfer saga is coming to an end following two long months on negotiations –a deal which is be a straight cash agreement with no other players involved.
Bale joined Spurs from Southampton in 2007 and has scored 42 goals in 146 Premier League appearances for the White Hart Lane side. His impressive displays last season led to him being named Player of the Year by both the Professional Footballers’ Association and Football Writers.
Of course £93-million is preposterous amount of money and, in my personal opinion, Bale is worth nowhere near this value. Although he is a fabulous player, Real president Florentino Perez is willing to pay way over the odds to bring the Welshman to the Spanish capital.
It’s fair to say Tottenham and their owner, Daniel Levy, are on course to secure a huge triumph in terms of the transfer fee that has finally been agreed. The English club have successfully backed Madrid further and further into a corner over the course of the transfer window.
Now Los Blancos are prepared to smash the current world record of £80?million, set by Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Manchester United in 2009.
Interestingly, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has informed Perez that Bale is an unnecessary acquisition and does not fit into his plans. After all, it will be a tough task factoring both the Welshman and star man Ronaldo into his team.
Although there is a way to fit both the Portuguese sensation and Bale into the same side, this set-up will not come without casualties. This is the problem currently facing Madrid’s manager.
But if the ex-Chelsea boss can discover a winning formation that can include his two big-money players alongside Isco, Mezut Ozil, Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric, Madrid will have an unreal attacking potential and arguably the best frontline in Europe.
Keeping a squad bursting full of world-class players seems to be Ancelotti’s biggest challenge this season. But, if he can find a winning formula early on, the rest of the campaign should be a breeze.
Meanwhile, in London, Spurs have already spent a small fortune in the Premier League this summer, with further signings anticipated, and while replacing Bale will be a tough task, maybe Andre Villas-Boas’s dreams of dominating English football and championing Europe are not so audacious.
To help compensate for Bale’s potential departure, AVB has twice broken the club’s previous transfer record this summer, recruiting Paulinho (£17-million) from Corinthians and Roberto Soldado (£26-million) from Valencia.
What’s more, the arrival of Nacer Chadli and Etienne Capoue have taken their total outlay to approximately £60-million, while Anzhi Makhachkala attacker Willian is in talks over a £30-million move and Roma playmaker Erik Lamela is also rumoured to be part of club’s plans.
It looks increasingly likely that Bale will become Real’s fifth summer signing, and Spurs fans will be glued to their TV sets to see how their former darling gets on on his debut for Los Meringues, which could be as early as the La Liga clash against Athletic Bilbao a week from Sunday.