Graeme Souness has told Sky Sports that he isn’t sure whether Gareth Bale will be at Tottenham Hotspur next season, after Jose Mourinho’s comments at full-time yesterday.
Football London have reported how Tottenham have an option to take Bale on loan for another year, at which point he would become a free agent, and effectively be available for permanent transfer.
Bale’s recent form, which has seen him score five goals in his last five games, has earned him huge praise.
There is now a feeling that Tottenham are almost certain to extend Bale’s loan, as he has been so effective for them going forward.
But Souness has another view, after watching Bale help Tottenham to a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace yesterday.
The Welshman may have scored twice, but Bale admitted after the game that he didn’t feel 21 any more, and may not be quite the same player.
Jose Mourinho also claimed that Bale had to be carefully managed, to ensure that he didn’t get fatigued and risk injury.
That, bizarrely, seemed to irk Souness – who now is of the opinion that Spurs may opt to let the winger go due to the finances involved in extending his deal.
“I think, trying to read between the lines, and let me state Gareth Bale is a worldie. If you get him playing Spurs can get into the top four,” Souness said.
“But what he’s [Mourinho’s] saying there is that if you take that argument forward that he’s fragile and that the bigger picture going beyond this year – would Spurs be willing to take the gamble of taking Gareth Bale? A fragile Gareth Bale, which he obviously is, he just more or less confirmed that.
“I’m not sure, given the kind of wages he would want. The ideal scenario, would he be prepared to take a contract which is pay as you play? Most definitely not, he’d want guaranteed money. Where does he go, going forward?”
Harsh verdict?
Souness’s comments may well be an overreaction to what looked a fairly innocuous comment from Mourinho and the 31-year-old wide-man.
Bale has suffered with injuries and isn’t the player he once was when he was younger.
Mourinho’s caution seems sensible, given Bale’s rich vein of form of late.
The last thing Spurs need is to lose their most in-form player to injury.
And even if Bale can only play for an hour, in a week where he has started three games, taking him on a longer-term transfer still looks a no-brainer, if he continues to perform to this standard.
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