Chelsea should turn a blind-eye to the Welsh winger, even if Real Madrid offers him as part of a player swap.
Real Madrid are supposedly asking a mere €175 million for Gareth Bale, a surprisingly reasonable fee for the Welsh winger. The price from the always-reasonable Real seems even better when one considers that Bale is well past his prime, has been exiled from his current club for what seems like ages and his injury history is as extensive as a list of Chelsea’s loanees. Despite these and many other enticing qualities, Chelsea should stay far, far away from the Welsh Loic Remy.
In the last three seasons alone, Bale has suffered 12 different injuries. He’s missed 52 matches in that span. Although he’s incredibly talented, the injuries have taken a massive toll on his career. With one of the most vital summers in club history approaching, this is exactly the type of player Chelsea want to avoid bringing in.
Chelsea’s habit of buying players with on-going battles with injury needs to change. Unless, of course, Bale would be fine just coming off the bench for the Blues. But then the massive fee becomes even more ludicrous, as it would be for a non-starter.
If the Blues want a talented winger nearing the end of his career, they need to look no further than Willian, who is still under contract through the summer of 2020. Bale is just a less durable, Welsh version of Willian.
In all likelihood, the only way Real would offer Bale to Chelsea is through a player swap involving Eden Hazard. Even then, Chelsea should refuse.
The Blues need to stand firm on their asking price for the Belgian, despite Real Madrid only valuing him at around £130 million.
While Bale would undeniably boost other English squads, Chelsea has more use for Isco or Marco Asensio. The Blues’ winger situation seems set for next season. Assuming Hazard departs, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic are two of the best young attackers on the planet. Chelsea need more play-making midfielders, not another winger.
Bringing Bale to London would only further delay the development of the two promising stars. Until he picks up his next injury, of course.
The name “Gareth Bale” is attractive when discussing potential transfer targets. But the name is just about as far as the interest should go. If Chelsea and Bale begin flirting, they are already making a mistake. The Welshman has scored some of the most memorable goals on some of the biggest stages in years past. Regardless, he’s not consistent anymore. Injuries, aging and inconsistent play time have not made for a productive few years.
Seeing as Chelsea have been somewhat stingy with its money compared to other top-tier clubs, a massive check for Eden Hazard isn’t such a bad thing. Clubs like Barcelona have turned ultra-high-value sales into a plethora of young talent, which is what Chelsea need to do.
Whether he’d be involved in a player swap or sale, Bale would drive down REal Madrid’s price for Hazard. That must not happen, especially for a position Chelsea don’t exactly need to fill another roster spot with.
The Welshman would have been a quality addition 2-3 years ago, but his time has come and gone.