Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - September 27, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale, Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga in the stands during the match Pool via REUTERS/Daniel Leal-Olivas EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Speaking to Paddy Power via Goal, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp has hinted that the return of superstar signing Gareth Bale is ‘great news for the fans’ if the ‘amazing’ talent can replicate his shades of form at Real Madrid.
Should Bale start against West Ham?
Yes, return of the king
No, bring him on as a substitute
Bale, who has been tipped to feature against West Ham this afternoon, could come on as a substitute or even start the match, but manager Jose Mourinho has so far refused to give a definite answer.
Indeed, speaking ahead of his team’s return to Premier League action against the Hammers, Mourinho claimed that Bale will ‘probably’ make his second debut for the club today, or if not then definitely on Thursday (Sky Sports).
Redknapp drops Bale hint
Ahead of today’s all-London clash, Redknapp has issued his verdict over whether Bale can star for Tottenham, believing that his potential return this afternoon could be ‘great news for the fans’.
“There’s a really simple reason why I believe Bale will work at Tottenham: he’s not an idiot,” explained Redknapp to Paddy Power.
“I don’t think he’s the type of guy that would put himself on offer unless he thought it would work. He could have gone anywhere, to America, to China, to Man United, wherever he wanted, but he chose Tottenham because he knows he has something left in the tank.
“It’s great news for the fans, too, and if he can even get a little bit of the form he had before he went to Real Madrid then, honestly, anything is possible. Because he is such an amazing talent, there’s nothing he can’t do.”
While Bale was shunned by Zinedine Zidane over the last year of his Real Madrid tenure, Redknapp believes that if the 31-year-old can replicate just a glimmer of his best Galacticos form, he will be a revelation upon his Tottenham return.
Transfer Tavern take
Bale signed on a season-long loan at Spurs in the summer, grabbing headlines as arguably one of the transfer window’s most lucrative deals. Real Madrid will pay a portion of his £600,000-a-week salary before tax, thus enabling Daniel Levy to bring him back to north London.
Lilywhites’ dreams have come true with the return of a club icon, and if Redknapp’s verdict is anything to go by, it could end up being one of the summer’s biggest transfer coups.
Spurs fans, should Bale start against West Ham? Have your say in the comments section below…
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