With Gareth Bale apparently on the verge of signing for Tottenham on a season-long loan, one journalist has suggested that it might not be the best move to make.
The Welshman hasn’t enjoyed his time in Madrid recently, but ESPN’s Julien Laurens has hinted that he could be walking out of the frying pan and into the north London fire.
“It could be interesting, really interesting,” he said to ESPN FC, cited by the Daily Express.
“I think what’s also fascinating is that for the viewers who have watched the Spurs documentary, there’s something that comes back a lot and it’s what Mourinho’s saying to his own players.
“I’m not going to repeat the word but he says the c-word a lot and clearly he thinks that this Spurs squad is far too nice, those players are too nice.
“They’re always nice, they’re nice on the pitch, they’re nice off the field.
“Gareth Bale is a really nice guy, he’s not the c-word, he’s not the c-word that Mourinho wants in his squad.
“So you’re right, there might be a clash somewhere where Gareth Bale, as talented as he is as a footballer and as great as he is, maybe he’s not the kind of character that Mourinho really wants to have in his dressing room right now.
“As we’ve seen in the documentary, he’s not happy, he’s not happy with the character.
“Last weekend, he was unhappy with the character, the players were lazy. They had the wrong mindset, they had the wrong attitude, etc, etc.
“I think if Gareth Bale doesn’t really go against that and if he’s like the others in terms of attitude and everything, I think Mourinho could lose it with him like we’ve seen him losing it with [Tanguy] Ndombele, with Dele Alli and with others already since he arrived at Spurs less than a year ago.”
Given the reported salary that Bale will be earning during his time at White Hart Lane, it’s a move that really has to work for all parties.
Injury concerns aside, when the Welshman is in the mood, he remains one of few genuinely world class players, and if Mourinho is able to motivate those around him, Tottenham could be in for a successful campaign.
Bale’s arrival should certainly lift the dressing room, and the fact that he’ll soon be playing regular football again will lift the player.