Let’s sign Gareth Bale

Even we paid his wages on a loan deal, would we not make a lot of that back in shirt sales?
 
Even we paid his wages on a loan deal, would we not make a lot of that back in shirt sales?
Absolutely, we make 500m a week on Jones' shirt sale alone.
 
Bale is mostly unpopular at Madrid because they needed a target to vent their anger at over the past few seasons and when you were bought as the successor to Cristiano you are on a hiding to nothing. The truth regarding his performance at Madrid is that throughout his time at the club he has actually been one of their best players and contrary to what so many are saying he has not been injured much in the last 2 years he has just been on the outs with Zidane. The real issue is that when you were a world record signing and you are following in the footsteps of one of the greatest players in the history of the game anything you do is going to look like failure by comparison.

So he is the punching bag for the Madrid fans and media and every flaw is blown out of proportion and all of your good features are ignored. The only joy I take in this is that thanks to their vitriol and constant trashing of him over the last 2 years Madrid and their fans have well and truly fecked themselves now they want to sell him. They have banged on about his lack of desire, injury problems and bad attitude so much that nobody wants to touch him and they have been so spiteful towards him personally that he had no intention of doing anything to help them out.
 
I think that whole he doesn't speak the lingo and doesn't spend time with his teammates is overplayed. He won them a champs league just last yr. I don't want him personally due to his injury concerns and wages. I honestly though couldn't give a flying feck if we signed some player and he wasn't and didn't become fluent and didn't like hanging out with his teammates if he delivers on the pitch. We know more than most that the player doesn't speak the lingo thing is a fallacy. We've had with with Cantona in the past and recently with Tony V, both spoke it but just didn't do it publicly. Bale speaks spanish, it is great, probably not. I think the days of all the players being mates outside the game is over anyway.As long as the player knows enough that he is understood on the pitch, good enough for me. He will always be a target at Real due to his wages esp when he isn't delivering., which is he isn't and hasn't been of late

You've picked a weird example in Cantona, the guy was a huge part of the dressing room, looked after the younger players and also was very much a part of the city. I know football was different back then but I remember something in his autobiography about him always being out in Manchester and chatting (even with not great English) to fans/living in a relatively 'normal' house/making every effort to fit in.

On the mates outside the game point - that's precisely why Bale's Spanish level is an issue in Spain because it's a much bigger part of the culture there. Wives, Gfs, Families all hang out more and do more things together, there are obviously exceptions to the rule but it's far more likely than in the PL where it seems almost non existent (aside from players playing golf together). That alone isn't a huge deal but add in the huge salary compared to teammates, isolation from the rest of the team and erratic form and it's the perfect storm.
 
Bale is mostly unpopular at Madrid because they needed a target to vent their anger at over the past few seasons and when you were bought as the successor to Cristiano you are on a hiding to nothing. The truth regarding his performance at Madrid is that throughout his time at the club he has actually been one of their best players and contrary to what so many are saying he has not been injured much in the last 2 years he has just been on the outs with Zidane. The real issue is that when you were a world record signing and you are following in the footsteps of one of the greatest players in the history of the game anything you do is going to look like failure by comparison.

So he is the punching bag for the Madrid fans and media and every flaw is blown out of proportion and all of your good features are ignored. The only joy I take in this is that thanks to their vitriol and constant trashing of him over the last 2 years Madrid and their fans have well and truly fecked themselves now they want to sell him. They have banged on about his lack of desire, injury problems and bad attitude so much that nobody wants to touch him and they have been so spiteful towards him personally that he had no intention of doing anything to help them out.

This. He is just a scapegoat. The good thing is the club he will join this summer can get a really good deal from Real Madrid, and Bale will be motivated to prove Real Madrid fans wrong.
 
Ronaldo enjoyed a pretty turbulent relationship with the Real fans and he is the greatest striker to have ever played for them. I'm pretty sure he averaged (yes averaged) over a goal a game in both La Liga & CL, and that's not even taking in to account his assists. He had a huge salary but he justified it from the day he arrived to the day he left.

Then you have Bale who I think has had a couple of very good seasons mixed in with some long spells on the bench/out of form. By all accounts, he spends not time whatsoever with them team outside of 'work', hasn't tried to learn the language and remains the highest/one of the highest earners despite all this.

Note to Ole, do not touch with barge pole
I think he’s by far the highest paid player there with Ronaldo gone, isn’t he? Not sure if it’s accurate but read on here between €500k - €600k per week before tax.

Even we paid his wages on a loan deal, would we not make a lot of that back in shirt sales?
Yes! The good old shirt sales myth :drool:

On a serious note, we don’t make much/if anything additional on shirt sales as Adidas pay us for the kit sponsorship. So adidas might make some extra cash from shirt sales, if there’s any additional demand at all.
 
Even we paid his wages on a loan deal, would we not make a lot of that back in shirt sales?

We sell about 2.5m shirts per year, worldwide.

The numbers of shirts sold does not really fluctuate very much, regardless of who the club signs and we only make a very small % of the profits from these sales.
 
"When people see Schweinsteiger on the team sheet, that's gonna send some shivers down the spine" Ed Woodward 2015
Woodward probably didn’t even know who he was before he signed and watched a couple of YouTube videos.
 
Why are people open to even a loan? The loan fees Real would ask would be absurd, we'd be talking £18-20m a season. I want him nowhere near the club, he's had his chance (twice) to sign for us and rejected the chance both times, let him stink up Madrid.
 
I think he’s by far the highest paid player there with Ronaldo gone, isn’t he? Not sure if it’s accurate but read on here between €500k - €600k per week before tax.
Yh whilst I have no doubt we don't have full info our side, it looks like he's on substantially more than players like Ramos. Can't be great for the dressing room to have someone who doesn't really socialise earning more than key players in the team (and Bale is definitely not a 'key' player under Zidane despite scoring important goals because Zizou wants him gone)
 
Yh whilst I have no doubt we don't have full info our side, it looks like he's on substantially more than players like Ramos. Can't be great for the dressing room to have someone who doesn't really socialise earning more than key players in the team (and Bale is definitely not a 'key' player under Zidane despite scoring important goals because Zizou wants him gone)
Yeah, on top of him apparently not integrating into the team or being arsed to really try. Hope we don't take that huge problem off their hands for them.
 
Bale is mostly unpopular at Madrid because they needed a target to vent their anger at over the past few seasons and when you were bought as the successor to Cristiano you are on a hiding to nothing. The truth regarding his performance at Madrid is that throughout his time at the club he has actually been one of their best players and contrary to what so many are saying he has not been injured much in the last 2 years he has just been on the outs with Zidane. The real issue is that when you were a world record signing and you are following in the footsteps of one of the greatest players in the history of the game anything you do is going to look like failure by comparison.

So he is the punching bag for the Madrid fans and media and every flaw is blown out of proportion and all of your good features are ignored. The only joy I take in this is that thanks to their vitriol and constant trashing of him over the last 2 years Madrid and their fans have well and truly fecked themselves now they want to sell him. They have banged on about his lack of desire, injury problems and bad attitude so much that nobody wants to touch him and they have been so spiteful towards him personally that he had no intention of doing anything to help them out.

Great post. A pleasure to read after all the nonsense in this thread.

injured too much (played over forty games last year)

Doesn’t spend time with teammates - wow! Spain have different customs to Uk, they eat out late at night, I’m sure it was kroos who also misses out on lots of team events due to this.

Only there for the pay check[sic], like every other footballer players for the love and would do so for free.

Doesn’t care about football anymore. Maybe he’s lost motivation at Madrid? What a bizarre idea that is though after how well he’s been treated.

We should only sign youth or young players - every team needs old heads too, class old heads we seriously lack. He would be amazing for James and other youngsters to learn from.

I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but the amount of bandwagon point jumping and mystic megging I’m seeing amazes me
 
What are we supposed to do with Alexis? He is hardly good enough to play for Castilla leave alone the first team.

And what are we supposed to do with Gareth Bale? Have him visit children’s hospitals on all his injured time? Both teams are stuck with high cost, semi-useless players that nobody wants. At least Sanchez will be moving from the Premier League to the slower La Liga where he will get more time on the ball.

Actually, just keep Bale. We don’t really want him.
 
Great post. A pleasure to read after all the nonsense in this thread.

injured too much (played over forty games last year)

Doesn’t spend time with teammates - wow! Spain have different customs to Uk, they eat out late at night, I’m sure it was kroos who also misses out on lots of team events due to this.

Only there for the pay check[sic], like every other footballer players for the love and would do so for free.

Doesn’t care about football anymore. Maybe he’s lost motivation at Madrid? What a bizarre idea that is though after how well he’s been treated.

We should only sign youth or young players - every team needs old heads too, class old heads we seriously lack. He would be amazing for James and other youngsters to learn from.

I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but the amount of bandwagon point jumping and mystic megging I’m seeing amazes me

Exactly. Let's not sign Bale cause he will turn out to be another Sanchez!
Ole's first full season as manager won't go down well if we sign players only of potential, like Daniel james etc.
Did Pep Guardiola not sign Jesus Navas in his first season at City?
We are limited as is it in the market because of no CL, high transfer fees and Ole as manager! The outlook of Bale signing would make it much easier for other players potentially coming to us much greater!
Our problem at the moment, ever since Zlatan left, Pogba is the man expected to produce the goods! He is not that type of player! Bale is! No brainer for me! Beggars can't be choosers and all that!
 
Exactly. Let's not sign Bale cause he will turn out to be another Sanchez!
Ole's first full season as manager won't go down well if we sign players only of potential, like Daniel james etc.
Did Pep Guardiola not sign Jesus Navas in his first season at City?
We are limited as is it in the market because of no CL, high transfer fees and Ole as manager! The outlook of Bale signing would make it much easier for other players potentially coming to us much greater!
Our problem at the moment, ever since Zlatan left, Pogba is the man expected to produce the goods! He is not that type of player! Bale is! No brainer for me! Beggars can't be choosers and all that!


How can us getting Bale ever be a no brainer seriously ?

A player with a terrible injury record past his best and who clearly has no interest in playing for us but yeah you call that a no brainer for us
 
If we sign Bale on a loan with no loan fee and we’re not paying all of his wages then I guess it’s better than Mata and Lingard on the right all season again, Bale on loan for a year then hopefully if we get at least top 4 next season Sancho will want to come next summer.
 
How can us getting Bale ever be a no brainer seriously ?

A player with a terrible injury record past his best and who clearly has no interest in playing for us but yeah you call that a no brainer for us

If it was a loan, then it would be! If Pogba leaves, and we sign young and hungry players, then expect mid table results next season! I'll use leicester as an example, they have young and hungry British players and arguably a better manager, and a defender we are apparently desperate for. Expect leicester to leap frog us next season!
Our policy has always been youth! Difference this time, we don't have the players of the ilk of Bruce, pallister, Irwin, Keane, cantona, established Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Neville etc to bed them in!
The transfer policy of young and hungry players will fail us again this season. We need a mix of both
 
The thing that disappoints me, is that it is an issue that takes so long to sort out. If we are not interested in him, I am sure there are ways to make this point clear without being disparaging to the player, either club (respectively) or the fans.

I just do not know what is happening at United re transfers, and it seems to be this way, season after season. It's rather sad.

If he fancies a season or two at United, for a reduced wage and no fee, then why not? he is miles away better than what we have. If he does not, then leave him on the bench at the Bernabeau.

Destined for PSG I think.
 
The thing that disappoints me, is that it is an issue that takes so long to sort out. If we are not interested in him, I am sure there are ways to make this point clear without being disparaging to the player, either club (respectively) or the fans.

I just do not know what is happening at United re transfers, and it seems to be this way, season after season. It's rather sad.

Do you know what is happening at City or Barcelona re transfers? Is it rather sad?

Do City actually want Cancello, Maguire, Fernandes, Felix?
Do Barca want Griezmann?

United, City, Barca can't come out and make a comment on every single player they are linked with man, that's all they'd be doing; and in doing so they'd also be making it very fecking clear who they are after.
 
Even we paid his wages on a loan deal, would we not make a lot of that back in shirt sales?


:lol::lol: Old ones are the best.
And we can't announce signings until the New York stock market is open!

But on a serious note, we sell sponsorship for our shirts for a huge sum.
Do you think we also get all the shirt sales on top of that?
 
If we sign Bale on a loan with no loan fee and we’re not paying all of his wages then I guess it’s better than Mata and Lingard on the right all season again, Bale on loan for a year then hopefully if we get at least top 4 next season Sancho will want to come next summer.

Bale fit, motivated and in form, would be an asset.

The massive issue is how often he is any of the above, and what ridiculous wad we'd have to pay for it.
 
:lol::lol: Old ones are the best.
And we can't announce signings until the New York stock market is open!

But on a serious note, we sell sponsorship for our shirts for a huge sum.
Do you think we also get all the shirt sales on top of that?

Haha. We do still get between 10%-15% but even then research has shown that star players don't increase shirt sales significantly, what tends to happen is that fans who were planning to buy the shirt, still buy it, but chose to have the new star player's name on their back.
 
I'd take him on a loan with an option to buy. Only way I'd take him.

But Real would have pay part of his wages too, unless we can negotiate a 'pay wages based on appearances' structure.
 
Bale fit, motivated and in form, would be an asset.

The massive issue is how often he is any of the above, and what ridiculous wad we'd have to pay for it.

Fit & in form wouldn't be the biggest issue for me, he still plays plenty of games per season (42 last year), form will be completely dependent on motivation. If Bale is just posturing and desperately wants a move to prove himself all over again he'll be a great option for someone on a loan deal. If Bale genuinely wants to stay at Madrid despite his problems, then he'd be a waste of space.
 
Without going through 52 pages of Bale, why is he so unpopular at RM and/or not within Zizou's plans going forward? He's only 29 ... cant have lost his hunger already?
He's unpopular among fans for irrational reasons. As for Zidane, beats me. Would have to ask him
 
I think he’s by far the highest paid player there with Ronaldo gone, isn’t he? Not sure if it’s accurate but read on here between €500k - €600k per week before tax.


Yes! The good old shirt sales myth :drool:

On a serious note, we don’t make much/if anything additional on shirt sales as Adidas pay us for the kit sponsorship. So adidas might make some extra cash from shirt sales, if there’s any additional demand at all.
Why does no one seem to understand why we get X amount of money from Adidas for the kit sponsorship? And that amount is renegotiable.
 
Bale is mostly unpopular at Madrid because they needed a target to vent their anger at over the past few seasons and when you were bought as the successor to Cristiano you are on a hiding to nothing. The truth regarding his performance at Madrid is that throughout his time at the club he has actually been one of their best players and contrary to what so many are saying he has not been injured much in the last 2 years he has just been on the outs with Zidane. The real issue is that when you were a world record signing and you are following in the footsteps of one of the greatest players in the history of the game anything you do is going to look like failure by comparison.

So he is the punching bag for the Madrid fans and media and every flaw is blown out of proportion and all of your good features are ignored. The only joy I take in this is that thanks to their vitriol and constant trashing of him over the last 2 years Madrid and their fans have well and truly fecked themselves now they want to sell him. They have banged on about his lack of desire, injury problems and bad attitude so much that nobody wants to touch him and they have been so spiteful towards him personally that he had no intention of doing anything to help them out.
Meanwhile, the club has been nothing but rabid in its support of him. For the first 4 seasons here he was a starter by presidential decree. We sacked a manager who won la decima in part because he didn't get the best out of him in his second season, then replaced with Benitez and the first order of business for him was to get the best out of Bale, to the point of playing him centrally(where he wanted to play) instead of starting from the right -and effectively sacrificing James in the process-. Bale scored 4 goals in that farce of a game against rayo, benitez subbed him off to get him a standing ovation(which he got) and he went back to the dressing room he found Florentino Perez telling him the next time he subs off Bale in similar circumstances he'd get sacked. The club passed on signing Kylian Mbappé because Florentino did not want to sell Bale. He let Cristiano Ronaldo go, because he wanted to give Bale the chance to be the star....I can continue but i don't it's necessary is it?

Bale has indeed been irrationally criticized and made a scapegoat by fans at times. Other times though it was with good reason. Mostly the biggest problem was Isco, the guy he was keeping out of the team who was/is the Great Spanish Hope
 
What? :lol: No, he certainly did not :lol:

Fans booed him a few times over the years. Real Madrid must be the only side in the world where a guy can consistently be your top scorer with outrageous stats and people still give him crap. Or you score in 3 or 4 cup finals and you're still hated (Bale)
 
Fans booed him a few times over the years. Real Madrid must be the only side in the world where a guy can consistently be your top scorer with outrageous stats and people still give him crap. Or you score in 3 or 4 cup finals and you're still hated (Bale)
He was booed like 3 or 4 times, by a relatively small group of people, and in reaction to specific incidents were he showed poor attitude/team spirit. That is not a turbulent relationship. He had and still has a fantastic relationship with the vast majority of us
 
What are we supposed to do with Alexis? He is hardly good enough to play for Castilla leave alone the first team.

Get him to play the CL theme on piano for every match. Surely that's worth half his salary.

Then the rest of the time, he can be the back-up physio. He must have accumulated a lot of knowledge by now.
 
There are only 2 clubs in England that Bale wouldn't instantly improve. We are not one of them.

I think fans have a huge tendency to pigeonhole players these days. Above 27? Too old. Had injuries? Finished. In this case there is also a common assumption that Bale has lost his hunger. Based on what exactly?

He turned us down twice they say. The sheer nerve of a player who is stacking up piles of Euros and CL winners medals not wanting to leave that! He's not for us. We only want players that will crawl to Manchester. Seriously.....

Frankly I find it staggering that so many are against this given what we have available to us. Taking a punt on Bale (if you see it that way) has to be better than another season of Mata and Lingard playing out of position, because that's what we have.

City and Liverpool are off in the distance. If any of our other rivals sign Bale and he plays to his ability, then they finish above us. It's that simple.

We've been burnt by Sanchez and its affecting peoples judgement. This one would be worth the risk. If we can get this guy on loan for a reasonable fee, it's an absolute no-brainer.