Darren Ambrose had tipped Gareth Bale to join Newcastle United this summer, but the problem now for the Magpies is that the Wales winger has opted to join Los Angeles FC in the MLS instead, as he told talkSPORT.
Newcastle were one of the clubs keeping tabs on the 32-year-old this summer, with his Real Madrid contract due to officially expire at the end of this month.
Whilst some felt that Bale was good enough to still play in the Premier League, he has decided against returning to England, and as he confirmed, start the next chapter of his career in America with Los Angeles FC, as he posted on Twitter.
For the 2020/21 season, Bale opted to return to Tottenham in order to boost his fitness ahead of Euro 2020 – he scored 11 Premier League goals during his second spell in north London.
It has been obvious for some while that the five-time European Cup winner’s form has dipped, but former Premier League midfielder, Ambrose, thinks he is still a ‘world-class’ player and would have been good enough for Newcastle.
“I would have been saying stay at the highest level possible, which would have been the Premier League,” said Ambrose. “Are there any takers? I am almost certain there will be.
“Will he play every week? No, he won’t. I think there is a chance he could create huge moments in every single game he plays.
“With the World Cup coming up in Qatar, he wants to be fit for Wales. Otherwise, there were even question marks as to whether he would carry on playing.
“I think Newcastle, for instance, they would definitely be a taker – I am not sure about the overrated shout. He is still a world-class player, still has world-class ability, but possibly not world-class fitness.”
BALE WILL ENJOY GOLF COURSES IN CALFORNIA
Back in 2020, Bale claimed that he would love to move to America to play his football and, as he quoted, ‘I love going to Los Angeles on holiday’, as posted by ESPN.
Well, it’s holiday and golf time for Bale because the MLS isn’t exactly one of the top leagues in the world, with the Championship in itself a much, much tougher league.
Given his qualities, he could have picked a much tougher and known league, but come December, when the 2022 World Cup comes to an end, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bale hint at retirement.
The back-end of Bale’s career has certainly been a huge disappointment because it has largely been spent in the treatment room, warming Madrid’s bench and now playing in America.
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