Tabloid hack Mark Irwin says watching Bale struggling for Tottenham this season shows how highly-paid players hardly bring something new to the Premier League nowadays.
The Welshman returned to Spurs in the last transfer window as the Lilywhites looked to bring back their former player from the wilderness at Real Madrid.
He was expected to complete the current Tottenham team and turn them into title challengers.
They made a fine start to the season and the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min helped fire them to the top of the league table.
Bale joined the club injured, and he was given time to get back into top shape with the club hoping that he can recapture some of his former genius.
But he is still yet to show why the fans were so excited to have him back at the club.
Writing on his column at Sun Sports, Irwin said that “Bale seemed to put as much effort into sorting out his ponytail as he did in trying to overturn the deficit.”
He continued: “WATCHING Gareth Bale jogging around against Leicester the other day I was struck by one thought: You don’t get much for £650,000-a-week these days.
“Tottenham’s prodigal son was supposed to be the cherry on the cake when he returned on loan from Real Madrid in September.
“But that’s not how the second coming has worked out so far for the waning Welshman.
“And you have to wonder if Bale can ever recapture the spark which once made him one of the most exciting players in the world.
“Seven years in Spanish football have clearly had an effect as he struggles to reacquaint himself with the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
“He was sent on at half-time against Leicester with his team a goal down.
“But Bale seemed to put as much effort into sorting out his ponytail as he did in trying to overturn the deficit.”
This was rather a terrible article from Irwin, he has not even got his basic facts right and his lack of understanding of football is glaring.
Well he is employed by the scum who have a reputation for not getting their facts right.
Miles away from being good value even if we were paying him £50,000 a week
A hatchet job? Perhaps. Harsh? Maybe. However there is an element of truth in it. Gareth did seemingly show more energy and swiftness in fixing his ridiculous barnet, when it unravelled, than in moving around the field. It is also unarguable that Gareth has struggled to come to terms with the pace and physicality of the Premier League. Plus, when all is said and done, in these austere pandemic riven times, he is trousering a whopping £600,000 a week.
Which begs the not unreasonable question, at what point does the Gareth Bale tribute tour become a liability? Nostalgia can be pleasurable and sometimes we all like to indulge in a little of it, but the harsh reality is that THFC is paying £1,000,000 per month for the Bale loan, which as yet has only rendered snippets of the talent or impact that would warrant such an outlay. The ball is firmly in Gareth’s court. If he wishes to dispel negative media sentiments then he needs to up both his intensity and his game.
Sadly Bale is so far behind the pace and is nowhere near fit enough