Goodbye Gareth Bale
Spurs News 24/7Epiphany. I always have one just before it all goes to ****. It's probably a defence mechanism kicking in. A way to preserve my sanity and avoid a meltdown. Accepting the inevitable. Ha! How many times have I danced around it this summer, rain or shine. Now there's dark foreboding clouds covering the sky. The contrails from a blistering Bale run are fading away to be replaced by far more prominent contrails. A signature of his departure from London to Madrid. Soon he'll be standing below a sun drenched sky in front of a packed Santiago Bernabéu greeting him hello. As if any 24 year old would say no to that.
Have I given up? No. Technically no. But yes, probably yes. I think I'm taking the main crux of my recent musings and opted to actually focus on that rather than just dance around it.
Gareth Bale would be happy to stay at Spurs if no bid is made. That's obvious. But it's highly improbable. Improbable that a bid won't be made. It's probably been made already and I've fooled myself believing otherwise. It's the centre-point of all the drama we've had inflicted on us all summer. It can't possibly not happen now. Not until enough hype and pressure is built up to the point where the imminent explosion results with the inevitable stand-off between selling club and buying club. Bale is happy to stay but is itching to move. He knows Madrid want him. It's done, in his head, he's already in Madrid.
A bid would force Spurs to officially respond. If they reject it, then the agent/player might not find the rejection agreeable and then what we've witnessed so far this summer will double in the form of brain aching headlines. If it's accepted, then done deal. Spurs will have bagged a record breaking amount of money. Money that won't be able to play through the middle or down the flanks until its reinvested. If it's reinvested. There's only a short amount of time left to purchase replacements. I can see opposing clubs rubbing their hands together, informing Levy, "Chuck on another £15M, we know you can afford it".
I don't know. Maybe Levy isn't going to bend over as easily as 'Team Bale' and Madrid expect him to. Maybe we want that recording breaking transfer record with a cherry on top. Maybe I'm emotional or maybe there's not enough coke in my glass of rum, but I can smell this happening now. I can't see this not happening. It's going to happen. Madrid, in debt? Never a problem. They can always lean on a third-party to aid them with the money they will earn back in a heartbeat from replica shirts. It's GOING to HAPPEN.
The epiphany?
The desire to go to Madrid is far stronger for the player than remaining at Spurs.
I can see it through the eyes of Bale now. Imagine that packed out Bernabéu, flash photography, the entire footballing planet's eyes on you. That's ballsy to want that. It's maddening to be the centre of it. It's ridiculous to want to ignore it.
We keep thinking about what's best for us, the club, Levy and what's best for Bale through our own eyes. It's time to detach myself from what I want and accept what Bale dreams.
It's not my dream. My dream sees Bale lead us into the CL off the back of a title competing season, solidifying his place in Spurs history. Rather than being someone who gave us a phenomenal evolution from jinx to game changing genius but left us muttering 'what if'. His legacy won't diminish but his legacy won't be legendary. We'll push on, new heroes will be birthed and new chapters written. We've lost greater players.
For the first time this summer I'm hoping I'm wrong when I've been telling everyone I was going to be proved right.
In other news, the Vlad Chiriches transfer from Steaua Bucharest has been called off by the owner who cancelled the deal from prison. Apparently Becali (that's the owner) went crazy because we didn't want to wait one more day for the transfer to happen. 'Who is Tottenham? Why can't they wait? Bye, I'm not selling. I am Becali'. Couldn't make it up.
Caulker is officially off to Cardiff. See previous blog for opinions.
The youths lost to MK Dons.
Fans selling tickets on StubHub.
So this is pretty much a day that deserves to be lost in a bottle of rum. And at the same time, I'll drink to Bale's future. I can't - hand on heart - deny him this. It's all very paradoxical. And I'm bipolar.
Football fans, forever tormented and tortured, guilty of only loving their club unequivocally. Foolish in our existence. Wouldn't change it. As I've said many times, the heartache is there to make the good times better.
Onwards Tottenham, forever onwards.
