WHAT was once a lovers’ tiff is now on course for a full-blown divorce. Gareth Bale’s relationship with the Real Madrid faithful has always been a difficult one, but there was once was a pattern that would see boos and jeers from the notoriously tough to please Santiago Bernabeu followed by adulation, usually after another Champions League triumph. Now, however, the bond is broken, most likely behind repair.

Indeed, Bale is widely expected to depart the Spanish capital this summer, but while in previous years there would have been no shortage of suitors for the Welsh winger, now his options are decidedly narrower. Manchester United have other priorities, Chelsea have been placed under a transfer ban and Manchester City have no used for another wide man.

This leaves a return to Tottenham Hotspur as Bale’s only hope of a Premier League switch this summer. Of course, Spurs have gone the last two transfer windows without making a single addition and a move for Bale would require them to smash their transfer record, but reports claim Daniel Levy has ring-fenced money should the opportunity to re-sign Bale arise.

[@GuillemBalague] understands Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy attempted to re-sign Gareth Bale at Spurs on a one-year loan deal and subsidise only £5,000 a week of the players wages.

The proposal was not even considered by Madrid as it was deemed laughable.#THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/JZsLJAAkrB

— Ricky Sacks (@RickSpur) March 12, 2019

It’s understandable that Spurs should feel the emotional and sentimental pull of a potential Bale return. After all, they were the ones who lifted the Welshman to an elite level, forced to sell the winger before he could truly fulfil his potential at the top of the sport. Bale is a four-time Champions League winner, becoming arguably British football’s most successful export ever, but North London still feels like home.

From a purely footballing standpoint, though, Spurs don’t need Bale when they already have the new Bale, Heung-Min Son. The South Korean has become a difference-maker for Mauricio Pochettino’s side over the past two seasons with his goalscoring display against Manchester City in last week’s Champions League quarter-final a defining moment in his career trajectory to date.

Who is the best player in the world?

RT – Son Heung Min
❤️ LIKE – Heung Min Son#MCITOT pic.twitter.com/yIQEXN7uWo

— Maths Betting Profit (@MathsProfit) April 17, 2019

Just like Bale at Spurs, Son has become a commanding physical presence over the past few years, with strong, relentless running one of his best traits. This allows Spurs to play quickly through the lines of midfield and attack and increasingly there is a cutting final product to the 26-year-old’s play in the final third.

Signed as a left back, Bale became an attacking force at Spurs, not just as a winger, but though the middle as well. Son has always been an attacker by nature, his conversion hasn’t been anywhere near as dramatic, but Pochettino has succeeded in making the South Korean a complete forward, whether that’s on the left, right or even as a central striker.

Bale might well be an upgrade on Son, he would certainly be an improvement on Lucas Moura, but should Spurs really be prioritising the signing of another wide attacker this summer? If Tottenham have such a transfer budget, they must use it to plug gaping holes in their squad, most pressingly in the centre of midfield, rather than add another forward purely on the basis of syrupy romanticism.

It’s possible that Levy sees Bale as a ticket-shifter, a marketing tool to ensure there are no empty seats at Spurs’ shimmering new stadium next season. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a club has moulded its transfer strategy to benefit their bank balance over the team on the pitch. Levy, however, isn’t known for such things. He is, generally, a shrewder operator than that. 

With the new stadium finally open and Pochettino committed to staying beyond the summer, Spurs are now charged with making the next step in their recent progression. As pretenders, they must now become contenders. In line with this, there is a temptation to state that players of Bale’s calibre should be on their radar. But while the signing of a returning star would be heralded, understandably so, it could somewhat eclipse a rising Son.