Video: “You want to stay here or go to Real Madrid and play no football?” Mourinho caught slamming Gareth Bale in training
Last Updated: January 17, 2021 2:45 pm
The Bale situation
Gareth Bale’s arrival at Spurs during the summer was surrounded by fanfare. Talk of a possible front-3 including the Welshman, Heung-min Son and Harry Kane was building excitement throughout the Tottenham fanbase.
However, the Welsh international arrived injured, and was, in turn, unable to have an immediate impact. Even since his recovery, meanwhile, Bale has not been a consistently selected figure under Jose Mourinho.
Ahead of his side’s meeting with Sheffield United, the Portuguese coach was asked about the possibility of Bale remaining in north London beyond the terms of his current loan deal. It is fair to say, though, that the former Chelsea manager was rather dismissive of the idea.
“There has not been a second of discussion about that [since he arrived]. Gareth is a player on loan until the end of the season. Not one second of discussion. We are talking about Gareth himself, Real Madrid, Tottenham,” said Mourinho.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 27: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 27, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
“Of course you know he arrived injured for the first month and the Europa League group phase is a different intensity so in the Premier League didn’t play a lot of minutes. Then an injury against Stoke where he was having a good first half. Not an easy process.”
Bale has so far featured on 12 occasions this season, scoring 3 goals without providing any assists. With Mourinho boasting other options in the form of Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn, it is unsurprising that Bale has not been given the nod too often.
Mourinho’s hard truths with Bale
And, as outlined above, recent footage from Spurs training revealed audio of a discussion between Mourinho and Bale, during which the Portuguese coach pulled no punches:
🗣 “You want to stay here or go to Madrid and play no football?”
Interesting audio picked up in this video from Jose Mourinho #THFC
— The Spurs Web ⚪️ (@thespursweb) January 16, 2021
Tottenham will face Sheffield United in the Premier League this afternoon. It will be interesting to see whether Bale features in either the Lilywhites’ line-up, or even on the substitutes bench, on the back of the aforementioned altercation.
Spurs have the opportunity to move back into the top-4 with a win over the Blades. Chris Wilder’s side, though, recently recorded their first win of the Premier League season versus Newcastle.
This result, coupled with the confidence it provides, will likely make the job for Mourinho and co. a tougher one today, and could therefore see Bale introduced to add some additional firepower.
Mourinho advises Tottenham fans to expect ‘different’ Bale to previous stint
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho provides updates on Heung-min Son & Gareth Bale
This article was edited by Conor Laird.
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| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 27 | -8 | 26 |
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| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 28 | -36 | 18 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 28 | -29 | 14 |
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| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 16 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 7 |
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| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
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| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Willian | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
