04 Jun 2017 01:19:51
Does anybody else have at least some reservations about signing Bale? He will be 28 by the time the season starts and for a player in which pace is a significant part of his game the figures being reportedly are steep! I'm not sure I want to line real madrids pockets with 100 million for an injury prone player who will inevitably slow down in a couple of years? I suppose you could say I'm on the fence, any opinions?

1.) 04 Jun 2017
04 Jun 2017 07:03:45
I don't want us to go near Bale to be honest. Great player undoubtedly but like you said the price would be very steep, he has had a lot of injuries recently, and I think finding an out and out striker is more important currently.

2.) 04 Jun 2017
04 Jun 2017 07:16:39
Injury prone, not sure I see that. He was incredible for Spurs, had 2 very good seasons for Madrid but has been injured this year. If we're spending big, this is the kind of player we need.

3.) 04 Jun 2017
04 Jun 2017 07:23:04
I wouldn't go anywhere near Bale unless the fee was under 40m.

He just doesn't have the longevity to make it worth while committing a large part of our budget this summer when we have so many other areas of the team to rebuild.

Having read a couple of articles this week about his injury issues it is painfully clear to people in sport science that he will always struggle to stay fit. A combination of the injuries he has sustained and his explosive style of play means he will always be prone to injuries.

Like you say he will soon be 28 and can't be expected to maintain his pace for more than 3-4 years maximum. After that you need to ask does he have to skills in his locker to adapt his game and maintain his level of quality? Maybe but no one knows for sure.

So a move for Bale would mean we would have a top quality player for 4 years at most. During those four years he is likely to miss maybe as many games as he plays through injury. So effectively you will only have him on the pitch for the equivalent of two seasons as a top level player.

For 40m it's worth a punt, but not at the 100m it will likely take. Plus his wages which will likely cost us close to 300k a week. On a four year contract that would be 64.5m in wages. So with agents fees and the like we would be looking at a total cost of close to 200m for a player to have a limited impact due to their injuries.

Five years ago he was worth it, today no chance.

He doesn't even want to leave Madrid, he is happy and settled there. It is Madrid who are open to selling him, even though he is one of Perez's favourites. Why would Real Madrid be happy to lose one of there top players in their prime? Answer because they can't get him on the pitch enough to make paying his wages worthwhile.

4.) 04 Jun 2017
04 Jun 2017 11:39:49
The lad from Dortmund would be my first choice for a big signing as a striker, ambbaydingdong - done it for a few seasons now, strong fast and knows where the goal is and supposedly 70 milion.

{Ed001's Note - even though he missed a Champions League game this season so he could go on a night out on the lash in Milan?}

5.) 04 Jun 2017
04 Jun 2017 15:07:53
I don't know anything about that, but no, I wouldn't be impressed with that behaviour. Its a shame if he is going to go the way of many before him with a bad attitude.

{Ed001's Note - sad really because he is a fantastic player.}