At which club would Gareth Bale fit in within the Premier League?

Gareth Bale looks to be a misfit in a very weak Real Madrid team after the departures of head coach Zinedine Zidane and all-time top goalscorer for the Los Blancos, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Welsh international has played 34 games for the Madrid club this season and is now set to be sidelined after sustaining an ankle related injury during Madrid’s embarrassing 4-1 loss to Ajax in the Champions League. We look over four teams in the Premier League that may be interested in Bale’s services this summer and the impact the Welshman could have at each club.

Injured Bale on the ground in a humiliating defeat to Ajax 4-1. Credit: The Sun

Chelsea

Chelsea are a side that could stump up the cash need to acquire Gareth Bale’s services and he would present a very interesting signing for the London club.

Chelsea’s signing of Christian Pulisic in the January transfer window means that they have increased their depth at the wing position. The young American and Bale could potentially have to battle for the same spot but, whoever will be in charge of this side may think of experimenting and possibly playing Bale further forward.

With Hazard and Willian rumoured to be leaving the club to go to play in Spain this will give a chance for Roman Abramovich to possibly get the funds to sign Bale and to play him either as a number nine or operate either on the left or right flank. It would be ideal if Bale played on his preferred side meaning that the manager would then have a dilema on who to play on the right side of the pitch.

Unfortunately for The Blues, FIFA’s impending transfer ban may mean that they might be unable to swoop for Bale this summer, leaving rivals to gain an advantage on Maurizio Sarri’s side.

Man Utd

Manchester United are a club that have been looking to get Bale’s signature for a very long time. Supposedly, back when David Moyes was manager they nearly signed the Welshman with Moyes a big fan of the 29-year-old, identifying him as the perfect player to finish the squad.

Bale has been linked with a move to United for a very long time and it would not be a surprise if the Red Devils paid Real Madrid a large fee to secure Gareth Bale once and for all.

United have a lack of depth in wide areas with Bale potentially the star factor they need in order to push on under potentially new management next season.

Manchester could play Bale on the right side of midfield with their usual wingers, Martial and Rashford playing different roles in the set-up. Rashford can play as a striker with Lukaku whilst Martial, sticks to his preferred role which is playing as a left-winger.

With United looking to possibly offload more players this summer, heavy investment could be placed in the forward department and capturing Bale would help provide cover at a number of positions as well as securing a player with proven Premier League ability.

Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur may be wanting to secure the services of Gareth Bale yet again. Bale played for the London based club from 2007-2013 before he completed his then record-signing switch to his current team Real Madrid.

With Spurs imminently moving into their new stadium, chairman Daniel levy would have to have Bale join stars such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane.

With Pochettino doing the same at Spurs as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man Utd in rotating formations regularly, the Spurs head coach also playing a 4-4-2 formation with Lucas Moura and Harry Kane up front.

Ideally for Bale, playing striker or in his natural right-winger position would be great but, this would mean challenging for a place at the right-winger spot with the talented Lucas and Erik Lamela. As a striker he would have Harry Kane as competition although, it is likely Bale would partner Harry Kane rather than replace him.

Tottenham have failed to open on new players during the last two windows and purchasing a world class talent with Bale could propel Spurs to new heights. It is reported a first-refusal clause was put in Bale’s contract when leaving N17, giving Spurs an edge in negotiations.

It’s also very possible Bale could be used as bait for Tottenham to sell Christian Eriksen with Madrid reportedly very keen on the Dane.

Gareth Bale as a Spurs player enjoyed his six year spell at the club. Credit: The Spurs Web

Arsenal

Arsenal are the final team who could be interested in the winger’s trickery and speed. They lack a world class winger currently with Henrikh Mkhitaryan often being deployed on the right side of midfield.

Unai Emery regularly plays with two wingers meaning Bale would slot straight into the Arsenal line-up. He would of course face jeers from the other half of north London having represented Spurs, a fact that may weigh against the Gunners.

The signing of Gareth Bale would be huge for the Gunners but with Bale’s price tag the club may not be willing to pay the fee and they are perhaps the least likely landing spot the Welshman.