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Gareth Bale

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
if Poch was to turn him down then he would no longer be able to argue that he’s not being backed or the club won’t spend money or operate in a different way. If he’s offered to Poch, then Poch really has to say yes.
 

Hotspur33

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2014
1,605
3,908
Okay, so Gareth Bale (following on from my other post in today's ITK thread).

Firstly there’s the contractual situation. It’s widely known that Spurs have an option on Bale which states that we have 72 hours to match any offer Real Madrid receives (and accepts) for him. In that case, it implies they’d be obliged to sell him to Spurs instead (whether he’d be obliged to come is a moot point of law). This clause only applies to offers from PL clubs.

Now, reputedly, that clause expires in June 2019, or in 6-7 weeks’ time. However, that’s the 6th anniversary of us selling him on the (original) 6 year contract. His RM contract was subsequently improved and extended (see below). It’s possible the small print says our buy-back option would also extend beyond June 2019 in that case.

However, that’s all legal stuff. The general situation is at least as important. Bale is still potentially a great footballer. Anybody who’s unhappy at work struggles to perform consistently to a high level. He’s underappreciated by the fans, the Spanish media and Zidane. He should have left a year ago. The decisive goals in yet another CL final really were the playing moment to say farewell.

But he has a highly lucrative contract until 30th June 2022, paying him the euro equivalent of £600k a week (before tax) with a 1 billion Euros buy-out clause (LOL). He signed the contract. So did RM. Why should Gareth now tear it up? Would you? As an aside, he has lucrative sponsorship deals with Adidas, EA Sports and Lucozade that may well also be linked to him remaining a RM player.

What Madrid forgot (like Man Utd with Sanchez) is basic accounting; that a player is an ‘asset’ in your books, UNTIL they become a ‘liability’. Sign a huge contract and you can’t sell them for a profit. Instead, you have to subsidise their disposal at a loss.

So there is a stand-off between Madrid and Bale with Daniel Levy lurking in the wings. Netflix should produce the box set. High stakes poker and soap opera combined. Nobody, but nobody, is simply going to bale Madrid out (pun intended). They’re on the hook for another Euros 110 million or so of Bale’s wages from 2019 to 2022. Madrid buying his contract out (paying him to go) is a very expensive option. So they’d much rather bully him out (media and manager comments, threatening him with training with the reserves, etc.).

Of course, Jonathan Barnett (his agent) says Bale wants to see out his contract. That’s just sensible employee-law posturing. Of course, the Madrid PR machine is successfully portraying Bale as ‘difficult’. Fans are picking up of this and claiming he has an ego and is entitled and only interested in money. In fact, all Bale wants is a way out that doesn’t let Madrid off the financial hook. The nastier they are, the more his stance is going to harden (but as will his desperation to leave).

Gareth and his agent have been told in no uncertain terms to find another club (that he wants to go to). That’s easier said than done. But then it would be a question of haggling who takes what share of the financial pain (Madrid subsidising a deal, Gareth taking a cut, the new club paying the balance). The question is which club would have him and where would he want to go?

Barcelona? Er, no. Juventus? Ronaldo. Bayern? Maybe. PSG? Maybe. But I really doubt Gareth wants to build a new life for his family in another European country (and language) anyway.

So I think it’s the PL. And that means one of maybe 7 clubs (if we include Everton, with cash to spend). Arsenal? Chelsea? I think he’s had enough fan hate for one lifetime. He knows it wouldn’t be classy to sign for another London club. And Arsenal’s not a happy place. Chelsea has a transfer ban.

City, Liverpool, United? All possible, perhaps. I suspect United would want him most but they’re the least attractive of the three (a rich but unhappy club in the Europa League). Does he want to go up north? Probably not a deal breaker for him but would it be his preference?

And then there’s one known quantity. London. The club with first option on his services should he leave Madrid. The club that’s made massive strides since he left. The club where he was adored and enjoyed many of his best moments.

All the above is a combo of a little ITK and a lot of informed supposition. What I don’t pretend to know is how it will actually play out from here.

But I think I know where Gareth would prefer to go IF he’s wanted. And the man who makes that call is Pochettino. Rightly, people are concerned about dressing room morale. About an injury-prone player. About ‘taking back’ somebody who ‘jilted us’. All valid viewpoints. But all irrelevant if our manager looks Gareth in the eyes and decides he’s worth the risk.

Then it comes down to the haggling. The man who makes that call is Levy. He’d undoubtedly be looking for Madrid (in particular) and Bale (to an extent) to bear the brunt of the pain. Bale must know he can’t leave Madrid and earn his full contract. But he’ll want them to pony up plenty into whatever happens. The “loan deal” reported in the Sun is the most likely way around the impasse, though not at the figures the Sun mentioned. Tabloids don’t appreciate the nuances of accountancy and taxation on what’s called a fee and what’s labelled wages, and what’s paid in Spain and what’s paid elsewhere.

Forget the smoke and mirrors. Initially, it’s all about a 3-way split of £600k per week; what pay cut would the player accept and then how much RM and the other club pay each. The question is will our chairman be prepared to shell out what’s left of Bale’s annual wages after RM and the player have reached a compromise. Could an option-to-buy at the end of a loan be worked out? I think the situation is tailor-made for a Levy-special IF Poch actually wants Bale.

In the end, this is a situation we as Spurs fans think we’ve seen enough times before. A big name gets mentioned. Fans argue the pros and cons. And then the player signs for someone else anyway. History and logic suggest Bale will leave Madrid only to turn up at Bayern, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. But this time it wouldn’t be because he’s chosen another club. It would be because we don’t want him enough.

Personally, I hope we do.

Decent read that. Thank you.

Personally I think it's a gamble. Not for his injury record, but for the upsetting of the dressing room. We would have to win something to appease the ego's (particularly Kane)
 

SpartanSpur

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
12,552
43,063
Okay, so Gareth Bale (following on from my other post in today's ITK thread).

Firstly there’s the contractual situation. It’s widely known that Spurs have an option on Bale which states that we have 72 hours to match any offer Real Madrid receives (and accepts) for him. In that case, it implies they’d be obliged to sell him to Spurs instead (whether he’d be obliged to come is a moot point of law). This clause only applies to offers from PL clubs.

Now, reputedly, that clause expires in June 2019, or in 6-7 weeks’ time. However, that’s the 6th anniversary of us selling him on the (original) 6 year contract. His RM contract was subsequently improved and extended (see below). It’s possible the small print says our buy-back option would also extend beyond June 2019 in that case.

However, that’s all legal stuff. The general situation is at least as important. Bale is still potentially a great footballer. Anybody who’s unhappy at work struggles to perform consistently to a high level. He’s underappreciated by the fans, the Spanish media and Zidane. He should have left a year ago. The decisive goals in yet another CL final really were the playing moment to say farewell.

But he has a highly lucrative contract until 30th June 2022, paying him the euro equivalent of £600k a week (before tax) with a 1 billion Euros buy-out clause (LOL). He signed the contract. So did RM. Why should Gareth now tear it up? Would you? As an aside, he has lucrative sponsorship deals with Adidas, EA Sports and Lucozade that may well also be linked to him remaining a RM player.

What Madrid forgot (like Man Utd with Sanchez) is basic accounting; that a player is an ‘asset’ in your books, UNTIL they become a ‘liability’. Sign a huge contract and you can’t sell them for a profit. Instead, you have to subsidise their disposal at a loss.

So there is a stand-off between Madrid and Bale with Daniel Levy lurking in the wings. Netflix should produce the box set. High stakes poker and soap opera combined. Nobody, but nobody, is simply going to bale Madrid out (pun intended). They’re on the hook for another Euros 110 million or so of Bale’s wages from 2019 to 2022. Madrid buying his contract out (paying him to go) is a very expensive option. So they’d much rather bully him out (media and manager comments, threatening him with training with the reserves, etc.).

Of course, Jonathan Barnett (his agent) says Bale wants to see out his contract. That’s just sensible employee-law posturing. Of course, the Madrid PR machine is successfully portraying Bale as ‘difficult’. Fans are picking up of this and claiming he has an ego and is entitled and only interested in money. In fact, all Bale wants is a way out that doesn’t let Madrid off the financial hook. The nastier they are, the more his stance is going to harden (but as will his desperation to leave).

Gareth and his agent have been told in no uncertain terms to find another club (that he wants to go to). That’s easier said than done. But then it would be a question of haggling who takes what share of the financial pain (Madrid subsidising a deal, Gareth taking a cut, the new club paying the balance). The question is which club would have him and where would he want to go?

Barcelona? Er, no. Juventus? Ronaldo. Bayern? Maybe. PSG? Maybe. But I really doubt Gareth wants to build a new life for his family in another European country (and language) anyway.

So I think it’s the PL. And that means one of maybe 7 clubs (if we include Everton, with cash to spend). Arsenal? Chelsea? I think he’s had enough fan hate for one lifetime. He knows it wouldn’t be classy to sign for another London club. And Arsenal’s not a happy place. Chelsea has a transfer ban.

City, Liverpool, United? All possible, perhaps. I suspect United would want him most but they’re the least attractive of the three (a rich but unhappy club in the Europa League). Does he want to go up north? Probably not a deal breaker for him but would it be his preference?

And then there’s one known quantity. London. The club with first option on his services should he leave Madrid. The club that’s made massive strides since he left. The club where he was adored and enjoyed many of his best moments.

All the above is a combo of a little ITK and a lot of informed supposition. What I don’t pretend to know is how it will actually play out from here.

But I think I know where Gareth would prefer to go IF he’s wanted. And the man who makes that call is Pochettino. Rightly, people are concerned about dressing room morale. About an injury-prone player. About ‘taking back’ somebody who ‘jilted us’. All valid viewpoints. But all irrelevant if our manager looks Gareth in the eyes and decides he’s worth the risk.

Then it comes down to the haggling. The man who makes that call is Levy. He’d undoubtedly be looking for Madrid (in particular) and Bale (to an extent) to bear the brunt of the pain. Bale must know he can’t leave Madrid and earn his full contract. But he’ll want them to pony up plenty into whatever happens. The “loan deal” reported in the Sun is the most likely way around the impasse, though not at the figures the Sun mentioned. Tabloids don’t appreciate the nuances of accountancy and taxation on what’s called a fee and what’s labelled wages, and what’s paid in Spain and what’s paid elsewhere.

Forget the smoke and mirrors. Initially, it’s all about a 3-way split of £600k per week; what pay cut would the player accept and then how much RM and the other club pay each. The question is will our chairman be prepared to shell out what’s left of Bale’s annual wages after RM and the player have reached a compromise. Could an option-to-buy at the end of a loan be worked out? I think the situation is tailor-made for a Levy-special IF Poch actually wants Bale.

In the end, this is a situation we as Spurs fans think we’ve seen enough times before. A big name gets mentioned. Fans argue the pros and cons. And then the player signs for someone else anyway. History and logic suggest Bale will leave Madrid only to turn up at Bayern, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. But this time it wouldn’t be because he’s chosen another club. It would be because we don’t want him enough.

Personally, I hope we do.

Great stuff again, thanks.

Mirrors a lot of what I've been thinking (albeit completely uninformed). Definitely suspected Levy would be a very interested observer in all of this.

Bale has to end up somewhere it seems, so the key things become whether there's any serious competition (far from guaranteed) and whether Poch wants him.

Hope it happens and Levy really leaves Madrid sore with the resulting loan deal! Adebayor x 100
 

McFlash

In the corner, eating crayons.
Oct 19, 2005
12,740
45,363
Okay, so Gareth Bale (following on from my other post in today's ITK thread).

Firstly there’s the contractual situation. It’s widely known that Spurs have an option on Bale which states that we have 72 hours to match any offer Real Madrid receives (and accepts) for him. In that case, it implies they’d be obliged to sell him to Spurs instead (whether he’d be obliged to come is a moot point of law). This clause only applies to offers from PL clubs.

Now, reputedly, that clause expires in June 2019, or in 6-7 weeks’ time. However, that’s the 6th anniversary of us selling him on the (original) 6 year contract. His RM contract was subsequently improved and extended (see below). It’s possible the small print says our buy-back option would also extend beyond June 2019 in that case.

However, that’s all legal stuff. The general situation is at least as important. Bale is still potentially a great footballer. Anybody who’s unhappy at work struggles to perform consistently to a high level. He’s underappreciated by the fans, the Spanish media and Zidane. He should have left a year ago. The decisive goals in yet another CL final really were the playing moment to say farewell.

But he has a highly lucrative contract until 30th June 2022, paying him the euro equivalent of £600k a week (before tax) with a 1 billion Euros buy-out clause (LOL). He signed the contract. So did RM. Why should Gareth now tear it up? Would you? As an aside, he has lucrative sponsorship deals with Adidas, EA Sports and Lucozade that may well also be linked to him remaining a RM player.

What Madrid forgot (like Man Utd with Sanchez) is basic accounting; that a player is an ‘asset’ in your books, UNTIL they become a ‘liability’. Sign a huge contract and you can’t sell them for a profit. Instead, you have to subsidise their disposal at a loss.

So there is a stand-off between Madrid and Bale with Daniel Levy lurking in the wings. Netflix should produce the box set. High stakes poker and soap opera combined. Nobody, but nobody, is simply going to bale Madrid out (pun intended). They’re on the hook for another Euros 110 million or so of Bale’s wages from 2019 to 2022. Madrid buying his contract out (paying him to go) is a very expensive option. So they’d much rather bully him out (media and manager comments, threatening him with training with the reserves, etc.).

Of course, Jonathan Barnett (his agent) says Bale wants to see out his contract. That’s just sensible employee-law posturing. Of course, the Madrid PR machine is successfully portraying Bale as ‘difficult’. Fans are picking up of this and claiming he has an ego and is entitled and only interested in money. In fact, all Bale wants is a way out that doesn’t let Madrid off the financial hook. The nastier they are, the more his stance is going to harden (but as will his desperation to leave).

Gareth and his agent have been told in no uncertain terms to find another club (that he wants to go to). That’s easier said than done. But then it would be a question of haggling who takes what share of the financial pain (Madrid subsidising a deal, Gareth taking a cut, the new club paying the balance). The question is which club would have him and where would he want to go?

Barcelona? Er, no. Juventus? Ronaldo. Bayern? Maybe. PSG? Maybe. But I really doubt Gareth wants to build a new life for his family in another European country (and language) anyway.

So I think it’s the PL. And that means one of maybe 7 clubs (if we include Everton, with cash to spend). Arsenal? Chelsea? I think he’s had enough fan hate for one lifetime. He knows it wouldn’t be classy to sign for another London club. And Arsenal’s not a happy place. Chelsea has a transfer ban.

City, Liverpool, United? All possible, perhaps. I suspect United would want him most but they’re the least attractive of the three (a rich but unhappy club in the Europa League). Does he want to go up north? Probably not a deal breaker for him but would it be his preference?

And then there’s one known quantity. London. The club with first option on his services should he leave Madrid. The club that’s made massive strides since he left. The club where he was adored and enjoyed many of his best moments.

All the above is a combo of a little ITK and a lot of informed supposition. What I don’t pretend to know is how it will actually play out from here.

But I think I know where Gareth would prefer to go IF he’s wanted. And the man who makes that call is Pochettino. Rightly, people are concerned about dressing room morale. About an injury-prone player. About ‘taking back’ somebody who ‘jilted us’. All valid viewpoints. But all irrelevant if our manager looks Gareth in the eyes and decides he’s worth the risk.

Then it comes down to the haggling. The man who makes that call is Levy. He’d undoubtedly be looking for Madrid (in particular) and Bale (to an extent) to bear the brunt of the pain. Bale must know he can’t leave Madrid and earn his full contract. But he’ll want them to pony up plenty into whatever happens. The “loan deal” reported in the Sun is the most likely way around the impasse, though not at the figures the Sun mentioned. Tabloids don’t appreciate the nuances of accountancy and taxation on what’s called a fee and what’s labelled wages, and what’s paid in Spain and what’s paid elsewhere.

Forget the smoke and mirrors. Initially, it’s all about a 3-way split of £600k per week; what pay cut would the player accept and then how much RM and the other club pay each. The question is will our chairman be prepared to shell out what’s left of Bale’s annual wages after RM and the player have reached a compromise. Could an option-to-buy at the end of a loan be worked out? I think the situation is tailor-made for a Levy-special IF Poch actually wants Bale.

In the end, this is a situation we as Spurs fans think we’ve seen enough times before. A big name gets mentioned. Fans argue the pros and cons. And then the player signs for someone else anyway. History and logic suggest Bale will leave Madrid only to turn up at Bayern, Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. But this time it wouldn’t be because he’s chosen another club. It would be because we don’t want him enough.

Personally, I hope we do.
Another good post mate, keep it up.

Also, I wish people would stop going on about his ego and the fact that he's now some kind of diva. That is not Bale at all.
He's never been like that. He's quiet, level-headed and a consumate professional.
 

SpartanSpur

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
12,552
43,063
if Poch was to turn him down then he would no longer be able to argue that he’s not being backed or the club won’t spend money or operate in a different way. If he’s offered to Poch, then Poch really has to say yes.

Not sure I can go along with that. If Poch doesn't think he's right for us then we can't do the deal.

That is how you get in the Alexis Sanchez situation.
 

spurs mental

Well-Known Member
Mar 10, 2007
25,075
49,234
Another good post mate, keep it up.

Also, I wish people would stop going on about his ego and the fact that he's now some kind of diva. That is not Bale at all.
He's never been like that. He's quiet, level-headed and a consumate professional.

This.

Not sure why anyone thinks it. Don't get where it comes from. Maybe the years spent playing with Ronaldo but it's just not who Bale is.
 

TheDoc

Member
Jan 1, 2013
47
96
Another good post mate, keep it up.

Also, I wish people would stop going on about his ego and the fact that he's now some kind of diva. That is not Bale at all.
He's never been like that. He's quiet, level-headed and a consumate professional.

Defoe said Bale was the biggest diva he has played with in his final season at Spurs. Would refuse to train the day before a game, etc.
 

McFlash

In the corner, eating crayons.
Oct 19, 2005
12,740
45,363
Defoe said Bale was the biggest diva he has played with in his final season at Spurs. Would refuse to train the day before a game, etc.
Really? I never heard that and would be interested in a link.
That tends to fly in the face of what pretty much everyone else has said about him as well. The Welsh players quotes get rolled out a lot, about how much he's one of the lads and is so down to earth.
 

Primativ

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
3,229
12,486
It’s a no from me. I think signing Bale would mean neglecting another incoming player or two. As we wouldn’t be able to afford Bale and a few other signings this summer and putting all our eggs in an injury prone players basket is a huge risk.

He might also find the 2019 PL really really demanding, after 6 years in the slower Spanish league where 90% of the games he plays in aren’t that competitive.

I guess on paper it would be exciting to have him back, but I think if we are smarter we can find younger hungry players, and we would be better off trying for the likes of Brandt, n’Dombele etc
 

THFCSPURS19

The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
Jan 6, 2013
37,886
130,485
if Poch was to turn him down then he would no longer be able to argue that he’s not being backed or the club won’t spend money or operate in a different way. If he’s offered to Poch, then Poch really has to say yes.
No he doesn't.
 

McFlash

In the corner, eating crayons.
Oct 19, 2005
12,740
45,363
Defoe said Bale was the biggest diva he has played with in his final season at Spurs. Would refuse to train the day before a game, etc.
Ah, I found it on Soccer AM or some such.
He was asked the question, "who's the biggest diva?".
I don't think it was a serious conversation though and I'll stick with what's been said by many others.

Still don't know whether I want him or not though!
 

TheDoc

Member
Jan 1, 2013
47
96
Really? I never heard that and would be interested in a link.
That tends to fly in the face of what pretty much everyone else has said about him as well. The Welsh players quotes get rolled out a lot, about how much he's one of the lads and is so down to earth.

He didnt say it to dig him out as such, but seemed an honest answer. I think it was more in terms of he does what he wants if he thinks it's in his best interest rather than he thinks he is too big for the club.

It was on a soccer am teammates thing I think, will have a quick look for it.
 

daryl hannah

Berry Berry Calm
Sep 1, 2014
2,674
7,717
if Poch was to turn him down then he would no longer be able to argue that he’s not being backed or the club won’t spend money or operate in a different way. If he’s offered to Poch, then Poch really has to say yes.

Tricky for Poch - If he says no, he'll forever be the manager that said "no" to re-signing Bale.

Good way to gauge opinion.
 
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