Gareth Bale’s time in Spain could well be coming to an end. The former Tottenham Hotspur hero has lost the support of the Bernabeu fans, some of whom again opted to attack his car after Wednesday night’s Champions League exit at the hands of Juventus.
Bale looks likely to return to England this summer. The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that Real are willing to sell the Welshman for a profit, with Manchester United leading Man City and Chelsea in the race for his signature.
Arsenal have not been strongly linked with Bale, but Gunners legend Paul Merson thinks Arsene Wenger should try to bring the 25-year-old to the Emirates Stadium.
Merson told Sky Sports: “I think he would fit any club in the world. Why not Arsenal? You’re getting rid of Theo Walcott, you’ve got a load of money.”
In a way, Merson’s naivety is endearing, but in another much more real way, he is out of his mind – again.
There is no way Arsenal should consider blowing their entire transfer budget on another attacking midfielder. With Aleix Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere already in that position, the Gunners really must look to strengthen elsewhere.
A new goalkeeper, another centre-back and a commanding defensive midfielder should be on Wenger’s shopping list.
Bale is world class. That is hard to dispute. He scored 21 goals in his final Premier League season at Spurs, before netting 15 times and providing 12 assists in his first La Liga campaign. He has even managed to deliver 13 goals and nine assists in La Liga this term.
However, he needs to be the centre of attention at his next club, just like he was at White Hart Lane, where he frequently dragged his mediocre teammates to victory single-handedly.
The power struggle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale at Real is no secret. Both want to be the main man, the go-to guy, the centre of attention. Both want to operate in the same areas of the pitch and the Bernabeu is simply not big enough to contain the two of them.
Arsenal, like Real, already have a main man. His name is Alexis Sanchez and he is ridiculously popular among Gunners fans.
Hardcore Gooners would not take kindly to an ex-Tottenham boy coming back to North London and demanding to run things, at the expense of their cult hero.
Old Trafford is the perfect destination for Bale. Yes, there are top-quality players in the United midfield – Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Michael Carrick. However, none of them would compete with Bale should he arrive. Quite the opposite – Di Maria and Bale were brilliant as teammates at Real last season, while Mata and Carrick live to assist the most exceptional players of this world.
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