It’s been two and a half years since Gareth Bale left the Premier League to join Real Madrid in a world record deal. The Welshman is all but certain to stay with Los Blancos next month, so we can pretty guarantee he’ll have made it to at least three years in the soap opera Spanish capital.
During that time, the 26-year old has won the Champions League, Copa Del Ray, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. The former Southampton youngster netted crucial goals in two of the finals and was a huge part of a stunning 21-game winning streak under Carlo Ancelotti.
So, it’s all been going well then, right? Wrong. As the Madridistas continue to lag behind Barcelona, the Welsh hero is often scapegoated. During swathes of last season, the world’s most expensive player was both booed and berated, even in the pro-Madrid Spanish press.
All of this has resulted in links back to the Premier League. Manchester United are the outfit most linked with bringing him back to these shores, though it’s hard to imagine none of the other big guns not making a move for him should the chance present itself.
Bale is a unique player. He’s almost impossible to stop when running at full speed, breaking behind enemy lines with sheer pace and power before firing from distance. In many ways, he can thank Cristiano Ronaldo for breaking down the door for a player of his ilk to make it at highest level.
The Portuguese superstar is widely considered to be one of the greatest of all-time, though he cannot boast the supreme technical skill to rival Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez or Neymar. The former Manchester United star has built his game on pace, power and precision in front of goal.
Obviously, he’s a hugely gifted footballer with all step overs and flicks. Still, the 30-year old goal machine is so revered due to his athletic ability, where Messi is revered for dribbling defenders inside out.
Bale has moulded himself into a similar sort of player. A talisman who will thrill fans and pundits alike by simply galloping through on goal or scoring from 30+ yards. He suits the English league right down to the ground.
Where would he fit in at Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal or Manchester City, you ask? Well, we’ve got the answers right here.
This is not at all to say he will leave, more what would happen should he leave…
CHELSEA
We’re going to base this off a Jose Mourinho Chelsea, though it’s not clear how long the pair remain a singular entity. Or if they still are now (he is at the time of writing).
Anyway, Bale is perhaps the perfect Jose Mourinho player. He’s a machine, bustling through defensive lines rather than taking on defenders for the sake of it. Should he end up at Stamford Bridge, perhaps he would be deployed in his favoured Number 10 role.
While he’s not intricate or likely to create in ways Mesut Ozil does, wedged between Willian and Eden Hazard, we could see him morph back into the man he was at Spurs. By allowing him a freer role, he galloped and gazumped defences with his electric pace while playing just behind the striker.
We may even see him take Frank Lampard’s role as a goal scoring midfielder. His surging runs into the box would both alleviate pressure from Diego Costa, and give the Blues’ wingers another option.
His raw physical ability is likely to stand him in good stead with the self-proclaimed ‘Special One.’
ARSENAL
Arguably the most unlikely move of the lot, due to his affinity with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, though it’s hard to see Gunners fans turning their nose up at him should he arrive.
At the Emirates, he would presumably line up on the right of 4-2-3-1 formation, next to Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. That trio would be poetry in motion.
While the German schemes between his two flanking wingers, Sanchez and Bale could dovetail and create a 4-3-3 in the final third with either Olivier Giroud or Theo Walcott.
As the Chilean toys with defenders with his flicks and tricks, Bale could be wreaking havoc by bustling defenders out of the way and creating space for the more intricate passers to weave their magic.
Ironically, he’s the man who replaced Ozil at Real Madrid, but it would be magical to watch the two contrasting styles play together.
MANCHESTER CITY
This move is the hardest to call. It’s unclear as to where he would fit in at the Etihad, though I’m sure they would love to have such a luxurious headache. Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne occupy the wings these days, while David Silva is the undisputed Number 10.
Sergio Aguero, when fit, is among the best strikers in the world, so it’s not as if Manuel Pellegrini Pep Guardiola would be in any rush to mould Bale into a centre-forward. Still, clubs like City do not pass up players like Bale should they become available.
As David Silva approaches 30, perhaps they would try to lure him to the blue side of Manchester by promising to build the team around him. While the Spaniard has never relied on his pace, they are clearly looking to the future with the additions of both Sterling and De Bruyne.
It’s not easy to call where the Welsh wizard would fit in, but it’s not hard to imagine that those behind the scenes at the club would want him.
MANCHESTER UNITED
A move to Old Trafford does indeed seem like the most natural choice. Comparisons to Ryan Giggs are not fair on a playing level, though a talismanic Welsh presence bamboozling up and down Old Trafford would be nice to see again.
As Wayne Rooney continues to struggle, placing Bale behind Anthony Martial creates one of the fastest attacks in world football. Where Martial is likely to hold the ball up, spin off and run in behind, Bale would then have acres of space to latch on to a Juan Mata pass.
The quest to land a ‘Galactico’ goes on and should they land Bale, his symbolic importance is arguably just as crucial as the qualities he brings as a player. It would mean Ed Woodward has finally landed a genuine world-class player, one of the finest in the world.