If you’re a footballer down on his luck and seemingly heading nowhere fast, the unexpected emergence of Gareth Bale under Harry Redknapp at Tottenham Hotspur is, as inspirations go, a pretty good one.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the Welshman went from perennial benchwarmer – Spurs famously failing to win in any of his first 24 Premier League appearances – to superstar.
It is common knowledge, meanwhile, that Gareth Bale came close to joining Nottingham Forest back in 2009 in one of the game’s great sliding doors moments.
But Forest were not the only club who could have snapped up a player who, just a few years later, would become the world’s most expensive ever footballer when he swapped Tottenham for Real Madrid.
Tottenham Hotspur target tipped to follow Gareth Bale
“A few years ago, (Walter) Mazzarri was coaching Napoli,” Luca Gotti, who is currently the head coach of Lecce, tells Calciomercato.
“For the January transfer window, Napoli were looking for a left-wing player for their 3-5-2 (formation. I had seen a perfect player and I spoke to the Napoli transfer man. I recommended Bale to him.
“He goes to talk to Tottenham, who were planning to sell him.”
Spurs, of course, pulled the plug on Bale’s exit. A decision that has aged about as well as any in the modern game’s recent history. The one-time Southampton starlet would then be transformed from a luckless left-back to a thrilling forward by Redknapp, truly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with while firing that iconic hat-trick past Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Gotti feels he is working with a player at Lecce who could yet follow in Bale’s path.
Patrick Dorgu, reportedly a target for Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester City and – yes – Tottenham Hotspur also started out as a left-back. But Gotti believes his potential could be unleashed in a more attack-minded role.
Ange Postecoglou’s side in £20m Patrick Dorgu
“He seems to have great adaptability,” the former Italy youth coach says of Dorgu. “He enjoys playing on the pitch. Important people from the football world are starting to call me to ask me what I see.
“(Bale) becomes a forward. He could have played as a full-back. This could happen with Dorgu.”
Dorgu, the 19-year-old Dane, has featured in the vast majority of Lecce’s games this season, Gotti’s side narrowly avoiding a return to Serie B.
Tottenham are expected to target full-backs this summer with Destiny Udogie’s injury highlighting the lack of alternative options on the left. Dorgu, reportedly valued at £21 million, could prove to be another intelligent, value-for-money addition by a Spurs side who have enjoyed some success in the Italian market of late.
“There is a lot of interest in Patrick,” Dorgu’s agent, Kingsley Ogbodo, admitted last year, confirming that both Liverpool and Man City are watching his client closely. “That doesn’t surprise me. Everyone can see his talent.
“When he has even more confidence in his abilities and has completed his growth, then we will see the results he can achieve.
“England, Spain, Germany… From different countries, they try to contact me. When the time comes, we will know what to do. He is young and we want him to grow calmly, waiting for the right moment, which will come.”
Dorgu, meanwhile, is not the only Tottenham target who has been likened to a young Gareth Bale. HITC understands Spurs are also keeping tabs on Galatasaray speedster Baris Alper Yilmaz, alongside fellow Super Lig stars Ismail Yuksek and Ferdi Kadioglu.
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