The time is right for Gareth Bale to leave for Real Madrid

“Take it and go!” I’m sure those of who you have watched comedian Russell Peters’ acts can relate to that catchphrase. It is oft-repeated among fans of the Canadian-Indian and is the best way to sum up Daniel Levy’s stance towards Real Madrid over their pursuit of Gareth Bale. Tottenham Hotspur’s owner knows exactly how sought-after Bale is right now and like Charles de Gaulle during the liberation of Paris from German occupation in 1944, has decided to strike while the iron is hot. One hundred and four million Pounds is the latest figure being mentioned in transfer roundup posts on the internet, across the ticker-tape that is customary on the bottom of the TV screen when the news is on, and provides ample fodder for back-page splashes on the sports sections of newspapers throughout the globe. The latest rumour that has emerged is that Real will fork out close to a staggering £200 million to nab their man. £104 million will go towards purchasing him while another £94 million will be allocated towards the wages he will receive in the Spanish capital. Crazy money, indeed. A craziness, if you believe Arsene Wenger, caused by the presence of Financial Fair Play looming on the horizon. [caption id=“attachment_1024171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Gareth Bale celebrates a goal for Spurs. AFP[/caption] “It makes a joke of the financial fair play regulations,” Wenger said to the Guardian. “I find it amazing that in the year the regulations come in, world football has gone completely crazy. You wonder what kind of impact and effect financial fair play has on the football world. It looks like it has made everybody worse than before.” But despite the ludicrous amounts of money being hurled the way of White Hart Lane, the summer of 2013 is probably the best time to buy Bale, not just for Real Madrid, but for all parties concerned. While there has been much discussion over what has been transpiring at the Santiago Bernabeu and across the English Channel, there has been little surrounding Bale himself. Bale was not just Tottenham Hotspur’s best player last season, but the Premier League’s. Given all the attention that he has been afforded throughout last season and this summer, would he want to play in the Europa League when Europe’s finest are clamouring for his signature? Yes, Spurs have been going from strength to strength over the last two seasons. They were cruelly unlucky to miss out on Europe’s elite competition in 2012 and finished a point outside the last four when the final standings were tallied this May. But while Bale will most definitely once again give it his all on the pitch, can he do so week in, week out, knowing that out there, with all due respect to Spurs, he could have been part of something much greater, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Iker Casillas and Mesut Ozil in training? Knowing that at least twice a year, he would get to take on Lionel Messi and Co in what is one of the world’s most highly anticipated games where global TV audiences are in the hundreds of millions? He probably could, in all fairness to him. He was so close to being labelled a flop at White Hart Lane three years ago, with Harry Redknapp sitting down to thrash out a loan deal with Alex McLeish at Birmingham City with an option to buy for a paltry £3 million. But the boy who could not win a game in a Spurs shirt in 25 appearances underwent a metamorphosis that made him their most important man last season. Gareth Bale rescued Spurs on so many occasions – games against Sunderland, Southampton and Lyon come to mind – and he was the catalyst for memorable victories such as the ones against Manchesters United and City. But what if that which awaits him on the continent does weigh on his mind, thereby affecting his performances? Spurs’ hopes of playing in the Champions League centre around Bale flying in and rescuing them from precarious situations and if his performances decline, the team as a whole suffers. That he has been moved from left-back to left midfield to attacking midfield during his transition is symbolic of how Spurs’ game is dependant around him. Surely, Mr Levy and his associates will then not be able to extract such a hefty fee from Real? Papers in the UK speak of a new £130,000 contract being put together to keep Bale in London but with FFP coming in next year, will Spurs still be able to put that offer on the table? It is therefore best for them to get him off their books now. From what is transpiring at the Lane, plans to replace him are already in place. From a positional perspective, Nacer Chadli has come in from FC Twente Enschede to replace him, but his unveiling has been dwarfed by the arrival of two marquee signings. Roberto Soldado was recently unveiled following his megabucks move from Valencia and even before there was such heightened scrutiny over where Bale’s future was, Paulinho had been unveiled as a Spurs player. In signing the two internationals, Spurs have ensured that they have a world-class striker to get goals and a top-of-the-range playmaker to supply him. With the windfall that will come Spurs’ way should Bale choose to swap England for Spain, they could invest in a few quality players that would fill out the squad and make sure that the burden shouldered primarily by Bale is spread around. That they have offloaded Clint Dempsey shows they are investing in a younger crop of players who will still be around when the effects of Financial Fair Play are first felt. But while all these problems exist in London, Real will go about their business unperturbed. Fiorentino Perez’s marketing strategy has been very well laid out by Bobby McMahon of Forbes Magazine: “The first “reign” of Florentino Pérez ran out of steam – although not money – in the summer of 2006 when he accepted that the club needed a new direction. “That new direction lasted just three years and Pérez reappeared as the lone presidential candidate in the 2009 election having been the only person to step forward and post the $80M bond required together with nomination papers. Almost before you could say “he’s back” Pérez had broken the world record transfer fee by signing Kaká from Milan. “Twenty-odd days later he did it again paying Manchester United $120M to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.” His philosophy has been very clear: sign the best and the revenue will come. It is one that has paid excellent dividends. In 2001, Real generated $120 million in revenue. In 2012, it was $665 million. In addition, because Real insist that the club get a cut from any sponsorship campaigns their players take part in, they add to their funding — which is nearly self-generated. For them, therefore, the problem of spending the same amount next year in order to once again break transfer records is not worrisome. Because FFP only looks at whether you are able to function while still paying off your debt and not the debt itself, Real will not be perturbed even if they have to return for Bale next year. Assuming, of course that they do, which would mean that Bale, irrespective of whether he is at Real or Spurs, will still be playing his home games in white next season. Bale moving to Real, therefore, is what is best for all concerned.