BEVERLY HILLS, March 23, (THEWILL) – Veteran winger Gareth Bale, who is on loan at north London English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur from La Liga defending champions Real Madrid has revealed that he plans to return to Spain once his season-long loan at Spurs comes to an end in June this year. The Welshman’s contract with Real Madrid runs until 2022.
In his loan spell in London, he has raked up 25 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, with 10 goals and three assists to show for that record. But, it has been an uninspiring return to Spurs for the pacing left-footer, who once lit London with the flair of his brilliance, as Bale has failed to become a regular in Jose Mourinho’s line-up.
This has led to the assumption that the player would seek to fight for a place back in the Spanish outfit than settle for a permanent return to north London. Bale himself appears to have recognised this state of play, and when asked about the uncertainty of what the future holds, said: “It’s no distraction for me coming into the Euros.
“The original plan was only to do a season at Spurs, then after the Euros I’ll still have a year left at Madrid and my plan is to go back. That’s as far as I’ve planned to be honest.”
He acknowledged the advantage of getting play time at Spurs: “Over the last few years, this is probably the most match fitness I’ve had. I’m feeling fresh and ready to go.
“I always think when things aren’t going too well at a club, it’s nice to get away, especially mentally get away from the club environment. Definitely, it can be a benefit. We focus on these games for Wales, which are very important for us. We forget club life and concentrate on this.”
Since moving to Spain from England, Bale has played 251 games for Real in all competitions with a goal tally of 105 goals while providing 68 assists for a computed number of 173 goal involvements. However, a falling out upon the return of French manager Zinedine Zidane appeared to have frozen his progress seeing him only manage just 20 appearances in the entire 2019/2020 season.
That was what necessitated Bale’s decision to get some time away from the Madrid Stadium for his continued improvement to avoid the stagnation that could result from not playing regularly. But, the excitement that surrounded his second stint at Spurs under a manager of Jose Mourinho’s calibre quickly fizzled out as he failed to spark.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
