Tottenham Hotspur fans will be excited this morning after Gareth Bale’s agent admitted the star wants to return to North London – with reports in the press suggesting a loan deal could yet be agreed.
The prospect of the 31-year-old returning to Spurs seven years after he left for Real Madrid is a mouth-watering one, with the Welshman an incredible player with an amazing history at the club.
However, before starting to celebrate over Bale’s potential re-arrival at Tottenham, fans need to take a break and reflect on similar situations in the past.
Spurs are seemingly close to signing top players on a perennial basis, especially close to the transfer deadline, and many have slipped away.
Backtrack 12 months and Tottenham fans, including myself, were delirious after talk that Paulo Dybala could be signed from Juventus.
The Argentine 26-year-old is a genuine world superstar and bringing him to Spurs would have been arguably the most eye-catching signing for the club this century.
But, somewhat predictably, Daniel Levy could not get a deal over the line and Tottenham fans were left dreaming, thinking about what could have been.
Despite Bale’s agent’s comments, I refuse to get myself into a spin over the star’s potential return.
I would love to see Bale back at Tottenham – he would be an amazing signing.
But, I’m going to bypass the perennial cycle of hope, excitement and subsequent disappointment – I’ll only be celebrating and getting worked up once Bale is pictured back in a Spurs shirt.