Ex-Spurs man thinks Tottenham star needs position change; compares him to Old Trafford legend

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Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara spoke on talkSPORT about Gareth Bale and his role at Tottenham.

The Welshman returned to North London after a hugely successful, yet frustrating time at Real Madrid. Bale made a huge name for himself at Tottenham for his versatility.

The former Southampton star has featured on both wings and at left full-back. However, he had the most success on the right-flank, where he became one of the best players in the world, first at Tottenham, and then at Real Madrid.

Bale is expected to feature mostly on the right-wing this season. That would make Tottenham’s attack of Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and the Welshman one of the best in the league, but O’Hara isn’t sure if the Real Madrid man still has the legs to perform as well as he used to out wide.

He said: “He looks like he’s lost half a yard of pace a little bit He just looks like he’s definitely not fit enough yet and obviously you can get fitness back, he’s older now. I think he’s going to have to adapt his game because that blistering pace we used to see of him, I’m not sure he’s going to get that back.”

“I think it’s a little bit like Ryan Giggs, when Ryan Giggs all of a sudden started losing a bit of pace he came more inside. I don’t know if Gareth Bale is more suited as playing a number 10 now.”

Bale as a number 10 could work

Moving Bale to a more central role makes a lot of sense. The Welshman has the vision to pick a pass and his skills on the ball will help him drive into the opposition third without too many problems.

A number 10 role also gives Bale the opportunity to have more shots at goal from distance. He has shown multiple times that he can score a screamer from a long way out, and doing that at Tottenham could provide a whole new dimension to Jose Mourinho’s side.

Kane’s new-found creativity could also help the duo switch positions during the game. If the Englishman drops deep, Bale can act as the main striker and vice-versa – something that could prove to be a real handful for defenders to deal with.

Mourinho certainly has a lot of options now across the pitch. Bale could make a huge difference for Spurs irrespective of where he plays, but considering his age, the number 10 role could potentially be a very good position for him.