There's lots of reasons why it's a better idea to sign a younger player with an eye on the future (for the record, my preferred option) than Bale, but I'm not buying this 'Bale is finished' narrative. He's still a top quality player, even if not as quick as he used to be. Easily a better footballer than everyone on our books at the moment. Injury prone, yes, as are Robben, KDB, etc etc. He's having a hard time somewhere he's no longer loved, but let's not suddenly make him out to be a washed up player. If we can't get one of the more progressive signings we want, a loan for Bale won't be the worst thing in the world to bridge the gap.