If Bale signs a new contract and stays for another season he'll essentially have done what you guys were saying RVP should have done. Ultimately it comes down to priorities but ultimately it comes down to priorities for the player. RVP wanted trophies and at the stage of his career that he was at, that was pretty much the bottom line so he moved to wear he felt that was most likely. Bale could do the same but, if he does chose to stay, it will be because he has other focuses at this point in his career like playing the free role he wants, with a manager he feels is helping improve his game and staying at a club where he and his young family are settled. It's a good thing for the game that there are players in the game that would take a decision like that really. Wilshere's another one in a similar position, there's no doubt he could leave and play for another top team that would be almost guaranteed to win regular trophies but he's in an even earlier stage in his career and in no rush to leave. Who know's he might well get the trophies at Arsenal but as he has so long left to play he can give Arsenal the time to progress to where he wants. There are players who have been much hyped and moved at the first chance they could to one of the top clubs in Europe and they don't develop as they'd have hoped. I don't think RVP's looking across the dressing room and wishes his career was more like Anderson's as he has more trophies to his name. Doing what's best for your career doesn't necessarily mean racking up trophies.
Putting rivalries aside for a moment, I would hope that if Bale were playing for my team, that he'd do the decent thing and stay, at least for another year rather than jump ship for the glory now. Football is sadly dominated by money and glory hungry players and agents that simply want to milk the game for all it's worth - and unfortunately there are a few clubs that are only to happy to furnish this greed with their obscene spending, so it's refreshing when a player actually does show some loyalty to the club that gave him the platform to grow.
I understand your point but at the same time clubs show no loyalty to players either. You only need to look at the way Chelsea treated Malouda, City treated Sinclair, Bolton treated Kevin Davies. It works both ways. The football clubs just want to have their cake and eat it. Football is a short career and personally I won't begrudge any player that wants to move on to a bigger club. Robben did with Real and we held no grudges, the time will come for Hazard soon and it will be the same.
He is actually an Arsenal fan. According to his old room mate Theo Walcott and his old School chum and Wales rugby captain Sam Warburton.
When we signed Bale he went on an awful run of Premier League matches without winning a game and we stuck with him. Since he returned from a bad string of injuries and got a chance in the first team we've given him a new contract and a payrise every season. We've looked after him well and he should acknowledge that by showing respect to the club whether he leaves or stays. I think the club would be right to feel entitled to another season from Bale though, especially since we're once again breaking our wage structure for him.
I'm not really sure how it worked out with his contract running down, if Arsenal had been trying to tie RVP to a new deal for a few years and he'd fobbed you off I could understand but it looked to me like it was the board's fault. They allowed his contract to run down, along with several other players that ended up leaving or forcing a big deal out of the club. If Bale stays it will likely be because we've managed to agree a record deal with Bale and because we've convinced him that we will be improving the squad during the summer, what RVP your board failed to do with RVP. Loyalty should come with contracts, RVP wasn't asking to leave after one year of a long term contract, he was at the opposite end of his contract.
Apparently the board had been trying to tie him down to a new contract the season before, but RVP wanted to see what we did in the transfer window, which was not a lot apart from sell another one of our better players. My personal opinion is that RVP was supported by Arsenal throughout his injury ridden career, we stuck by him and paid his wages and he owed us one more season, but I do also see the argument that the board, through their conservative approach in the transfer marker, created a situation where he felt that within what was left of his career, he might not win anything at Arsenal.
I'd be more inclined to agree with you were Arsenal also unable to agree contracts with several others. It's questionable how hard your board were actually trying to get anyone to sign on. I notice that now that's changed with the likes of Wilshere(who's been injury prone) and Chamberlain(who's not progressing at any great rate) getting long term contracts, that's being loyal and showing faith in players.
Everyone assumes it's Bales choice whether he stays or not, Tottenham have plans for ground development and must raise capital to fund it, when Levy starts crunching the numbers this Summer he might view a £50m bid differently....
Interesting comment on the Telegraph's story about Sergio Ramos telling Bale to come to Real Madrid : Somebody has pointed out that rather than keep all of their eggs in one basket with Bale (and let's be honest, he hauled their arses along this season. They would have finished 7th behind Liverpool without his goals) that Spurs might be better off cashing in on him now for top dollar, so that they can use the money in other areas of their squad that need attention. I think Bale will go one day, whether it's this summer or possibly next. So they might be better of facing the inevitable and getting the best price they can for him now, rather than risking another season of missing out on CL football and having a very disgruntled Bale angling for a move and forcing his price down. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-Ramos-as-Tottenham-fight-to-keep-winger.html
I'm not sure he's disgruntled, same way I'm not convinced he's demanding £200k a week from a club who he know cannot afford that, I may be wrong but leaving all the piss taking/abuse aside he comes across a decent loyal guy who is happy playing for Tottenham and wants to drag up a level in the way 99% of footballers from yesteryear did. We had years of Barca unsettling us every Summer for our best players, Tottenham now seem destined for similar treatment...
I'm not sure he's disgruntled either . . yet What I was saying though was that if he does stay another season with spurs and they fail again, then he will become disgruntled and may try and force a move, thereby weakening Spurs' hand in the transfer market. It might be better for them to cash in on him this summer. Or if he has a indifferent season next time, then Spurs may end up wishing they'd sold him when they had the opportunity to get top dollar. Speculative I know, and I agree that he does come across as a decent loyal player. But you have to wonder where that loyalty will get him ultimately. He has the skill to play for any of the top teams in Europe and as you mention whereas we've had years of Barca unsettling our players every summer, Spurs now look destined to suffer the same treatment.
I think much of that depends on who he employs as advisers and how much he listens to them. Agents are scum of the Earth and think of themselves and their pockets only, no question the player could **** off and get £200k a week in Manchester, West London, PSG/Monaco or possibly Madrid, but I've always questioned what a player can do with £10m a year that he can't do with £5m a year so the raping of clubs finances with(potentially) crippling demands are hard to stomach....
We'll have him for 50k Whatever release figure is touted around, he needs to sign the contract first though. I see Desailly has added his opinion on the matter today http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22648898 saying that Bale should leave to experience football at the top level, to challenge himself because - 'Tottenham will not give him an opportunity to play at a very high level'
Another twat sticking his oar in,it's up to Bale where he see's his future,not every Tom,dick,and harry sticking their noses in where they don't belong
