TOTTENHAM are on the verge of completing a stunning swoop to bring Gareth Bale back to North London from Real Madrid.
Fans are rightly excited at the prospect of seeing the Welshman in a Spurs shirt again, having watched him win four Champions Leagues from afar since leaving White Hart Lane in 2013.
How Bale, Sancho and Greenwood compared last season
Gareth Bale managed only three goals for Real Madrid last seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But with Bale now 31, and having been bombed out by Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, spending astronomical money to bring him back is a huge gamble for Spurs chief Daniel Levy.
SunSport last night told you that Spurs are in advanced talks over a stunning £20million loan deal to bring the winger, who made 203 appearances for the Lilywhites between 2007 and 2013, back to North London.
Levy, 58, would be getting one over his old transfer sparring partners at Manchester United in the process – with the Red Devils having also been linked with the ponytailed superstar.
But according to WhoScored, missing out on the injury-prone attacker may be a blessing in disguise for United, especially if it means getting Jadon Sancho or not blocking Mason Greenwood’s route into the first-team.
So how did Bale compare to the young attacking duo last season? Let’s take a look at the numbers.
Amazingly the youngstest of the three in Greenwood, 18, made the most appearances last season – playing 49 times compared to Sancho’s tally of 44 and Bale’s 20.
Sancho trumps both on minutes however, as more of a key figure for his Borussia Dortmund team.
And the 20-year-old England star also managed more goals – netting 20 despite an expected goals (xG) tally of just 12.86.
Spurs fans will be hoping that Bale can roll back the yearsCredit: Reuters
Sancho was in electrifying form for Borussia Dortmund last seasonCredit: AFP or licensors
Greenwood enjoyed an amazing breakthrough campaign at Manchester UnitedCredit: EPA
Greenwood also maximises his chances, having bagged 17 from an xG total of just 8.52.
Bale, on the other hand, was less clinical – scoring a measly three times from an xG of 4.42.
Sancho and Greenwood possessed similar shot conversion rates at 24.7 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile Bale again lagged behind on just 7.3 per cent.
Sancho, by far the best statistically of the three last term, managed 19 assists – compared to Greenwood’s three and Bale’s two.
And the former Manchester City starlet again trumps the other two in terms of dribbles per game, getting fans’ bums off seats with 3.1 per match, compared to just 1.3 and 1.4 for Greenwood and Bale respectively.
SPURS. GOLF. MADRID.
So while these numbers suggest that United are right to steer clear, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Spurs should do the same.
Paying a decent chunk of Bale’s astronomical £600,000-a-week wages will put a dent in the club’s budget – but his star power could potentially drag the level of his team-mates up in the process.
Bale’s carefree demeanour in a Real Madrid shirt could deter Tottenham, but his attitude when skippering his country is different altogether.
And with his agent Jonathan Barnett having said last night, “Gareth still loves Spurs. We are talking. It’s where he wants to be,” perhaps the fading star could have the motivation to return to former glories in N17.
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Gareth Bale close to Tottenham return as Spurs hijack Man Utd transfer plans
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
