Bale is back - What the Welshman's return means for Tottenham

 

Seven years after leaving Tottenham for Real Madrid in a then-world record deal, Gareth Bale is back. The Wales international returns to Spurs on a season-long loan as he enters the final year of his Real Madrid deal. While Bale had been routinely linked with a move back to the north London side in recent seasons, speculation that was routinely dismissed by the Welshman's camp, the 31-year-old is a Spurs player once more. 

 

While Spurs came into the market needing a central midfielder and a right-back as a priority, when a player of Bale's ilk becomes available, then you don't turn down the chance to bring him back to the capital. While injuries have robbed him of that explosive turn of pace supporters routinely bore witness to prior to his big money move to Spain, Bale's capture is a confidence boost, and then some, for Jose Mourinho's side. 

 

He'll hope to regain that goalscoring knack that made him one of the most feared attackers on the continent prior to his move to Madrid, where he scored 21 goals to help Spurs to a fifth-placed finish. Of those 21 goals, nine came from outside of the box, more than any other Premier League player and 11 of their 20 teams in England's top tier. For context, Bale has scored just 10 league goals from outside the box in his Real Madrid career, though, that could be down to the setup for Spurs under Andre Villas-Boas being different to how it has been with Los Blancos in the years since. 

 

What'll be clear, though, is that Mourinho will have a regular goal threat from the right flank, something that has been found wanting in recent months. Lucas Moura will always hold a special place in Spurs fans' hearts after his hat-trick in their 3-2 Champions League semi-final win at Ajax, but the Brazilian doesn't offer enough in the final third. Indeed, Moura managed just four goals and four assists across 35 Premier League appearances last season. 

 

 

Bale's return hardly makes for better reading, yet injuries again have hindered his impact in a Real Madrid side managed by Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman was prepared to sanction his departure last summer, which has also limited the Wales international's playing time for Los Blancos. 

 

At Spurs, though, he'll be back playing for a team that appreciates his talent under a manager who has previously spoken highly of Bale. "I tried to sign him for Real Madrid which was not possible," Mourinho said of the Welshman this week and he'll undoubtedly relish the opportunity to utilise his talent at Tottenham. 

 

After a mixed start to the season, though, Bale will rejuvenate Spurs and give them the shot in the arm required to push for a top-four finish, all the while helping end that lengthy wait for silverware. As the song goes, "It's lucky for Spurs when the year ends in one" and Bale has the winning mentality to ensure that rings true this season.

Bale is back - What the Welshman's return means for Tottenham