According to the Daily Mail, the new permanent Tottenham manager will have the final say on whether the club extends Gareth Bale's loan.

New boss to decide Bale future

As it stands, the Welshman is set to return to Real Madrid at the end of the season following the culmination of his one-year loan spell.

However, Spurs have an option for a second term and, although it is not yet certain who will take over the reins from former manager Jose Mourinho, the new boss will decide whether or not Bale stays in north London for another year. The Daily Mail claimed that chairman Daniel Levy will present the next manager with the option of re-signing the 31-year-old for next season.

Keep him

While Bale has not been at his best this term, he has been far from a disappointment overall. He has managed 14 goals in all competitions, with only Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son scoring more for Tottenham (Transfermarkt), and he even picked up a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Sheffield United last weekend.

Spurs would need to pay Bale's £240,000-a-week (£12.5m per year) wages for another season, but he is a top-class player with plenty of experience who still has a lot to offer, and to sign another player of his quality would cost an awful lot more. Whoever ends up as Mourinho's long-term successor, they should do all they can to hold on to the Wales international.

In other news, Steve Hitchen has suggested this man become the new Tottenham manager.