I once wrote an article about Gareth Bale being fed up with the Spuds and wanting to join Arsenal, but it was April Fools day. Strangely enough though, since then the Welsh wizard has admitted on Spanish radio that he used to be an Arsenal fan, as a report in The Mirror revealed.
And now it appears that Bale is ready to call time on his time at Real Madrid and would like to return to the Premier League. The reasons given in another report by The Mirror today are that he wants his young daughter to be educated and brought up in Britain and that he wants to settle down permanently.
Anyone who has been watching Spanish football recently will know that there is more to it than that, as Bale has become the subject of the Madrid fans´ frustrations for their recent poor form. They are whistling and jeering him as he plays and it all started with Ronaldo having a hissy fit because Bale dared to shoot instead of passing.
As a BBC report this week showed, Bale is under serious attack from the Spanish press and all this is clearly getting to him and affecting his game on the pitch. Who knows what it is doing to his morale off the pitch as well. When you consider that he was a major part of them winning a 10th Champions League last season, it seems incredibly unfair, and you thought some Arsenal fans could be hard on our players!
Okay so it looks like he could move on this summer and everyone seems to think it will be to Manchester United, but what if they fail to secure a Champions League spot, which seems ever more likely? The thing is, Arsenal can afford Bale. We could afford to buy two of him just with the cash reserves we are sitting on. He might cost around £70 million but that is like buying Ozil and Chambers.
Kroenke and Gazidis should also know that the amount of publicity and shirt sales his transfer would generate would be unbelievable. And it would send out a real message of intent as well as making the Gunners into a team that could win the Premier League and maybe even the Champions League.
Imagine a front three of Alexis, Giroud and Bale with the likes of Ozil, Cazorla, Ramsey and Coquelin in midfield. That team would be absolutely terrifying to play against. Why would Bale want to join a struggling United when he could come back to London and make the team he supported as a boy into world beaters?
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