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Gareth Bale is back at Tottenham Hotspur seven years after he left North London for Real Madrid.
The Welsh international has signed a one-season loan contract with José Mourinho’s team after seeing his relationship with Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane deteriorate.
Bale left the Spurs in 2013 for a world record fee of £ 85 million after an excellent 2012-13 season that saw him score 26 times and set up 15 goals for his teammates.
It flourished in White Hart Lane, but it could have been so different.
Bale came close to leaving the Spurs after enduring a torrid moment since arriving from Southampton, whose academy he passed, in 2007.
And it might even have ended up in Birmingham City.
Here’s the story of how Blues approached Bale …
The context
Having signed for an initial £ 5 million from Southampton in May 2007, Bale managed a record 24 Premier League matches without a win.
The winless streak had dragged on for two years and in October 2009, then-Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was thought ready to ditch the injury-prone Welshman.
Bale had spent long periods on the treatment table, first with an ankle injury and then with a ligament problem in his knee.
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Ready to jump
In the wake of the Carson Yeung takeover, McLeish was promised the backing of the new board and a war chest of £ 40 million.
Birmingham and Alex McLeish were rumored to be waiting behind the scenes to clinch the Spurs’ ‘flop’, for just £ 3 million in the next transfer window.
Birmingham was languishing in 17th place at the time and McLeish wanted Bale as the first signing of Carson Yeung’s tenure.
What happened?
Unfortunately for Bluenoses, the move never materialized and Bale became Tottenham’s talisman.
Bale broke the curse, coming as a substitute in a 5-0 home win against Burnley and from there, he never looked back.
The Welsh winger scored 42 goals in 146 appearances for the Spurs, twice winning the PFA Player of the Year award.
Then in 2013, Real Madrid called with a world record transfer fee of € 100.8 million and Bale became a galactic.
Since then he has won important honors with the Spanish giants and has no less than four Champions League medals.
As for Birmingham and McLeish, they went on to lift the Carling Cup trophy in 2011, but also dropped that same year.
The Blues have been in the Championship ever since. The club has suffered various financial problems off the pitch and received a nine-point deduction this season.
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What They Said: Alex McLeish
“I risked my arm earlier in the week, gave Harry a ring and asked if we could borrow Gareth.
“We thought, maybe we could ease the pressure, with him coming to a smaller club, help him get on his feet.
“If he did really well, Harry could get it back or we could make a cheeky offer.
“He said Alex, I have no problem with him coming out to play, but I can’t let him out because we have some injuries.”
Harry redknapp
“There is no possibility that he will sell it, he is a boy with a great future and he is learning the game.
“He should be a fantastic player and I have told him that if he stops playing with his barnet, he has a chance.
“He has everything to be an elite player. He has to learn to defend, learn not to let people play balls inside him, learn to recover. But it’s all there.”
Gareth Bale
“I just want to keep playing and hopefully I get a team career now.”
Lord Alex Ferguson
“You can’t choose him, he’s jinxed.”
How the press reported it
Mirror: Bale is behind left-back Benoit-Assou Ekotto in Tottenham’s pecking order. He knows that he will have to leave White Hart Lane if he wants to resurrect his career. Harry Redknapp could be prepared to sell Bale if McLeish makes a decent offer, and the Spurs can provide defensive coverage.
Online mail: Birmingham coach Alex McLeish is preparing a January transfer for Tottenham defender Gareth Bale. He’s had a steamy moment at Tottenham and has only had one Premier League start this season.
The Telegraph: Is it dating? Gareth Bale could be ready to move to Birmingham after two poor years at Tottenham.
Sky sports: Alex McLeish is keeping an eye on Gareth Bale as he hopes to strengthen his team in the January transfer window. Harry Redknapp is believed to be willing to listen to offers for the Welsh left-back.
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