Would you have Bale?

The Welshman has featured in just 44% of the minutes played by Los Blancos this term, and is costing the Santiago Bernabéu outfit 750,000 euros a game.

Patience is starting to wear thin among senior figures at Real Madrid over Gareth Bale's constant injuries and lengthy periods of recuperation.
Indeed, a section of the Real hierarchy now feel Bale's brittle body is seeing him turn into the new Arjen Robben - the Dutchman's spell at the club was blighted by fitness issues - and are beginning to weigh up the option of selling the Welshman in the summer.
Since his arrival at Los Blancos in 2013, the 26-year-old has broken down 11 times and featured in only 8,620 minutes of a total of 13,590: just 63% of Madrid's first-team action.
And the percentage is even lower if the focus is narrowed to the current season, during which Bale has only been involved in 44% (1,265 of 2,880 minutes).
His least injury-hit campaign came last term, when the former Tottenham Hotpsur man appeared in 76% of the minutes played by Real (4,036 of 5,310), while in his maiden year at the Bernabéu he managed just 61% (3,319 of 5,400).
Taking into account the 100.7 million fee of his transfer from Spurs, plus his 18-million-euro gross salary, he is costing the club 750,000 euros per game.
And on top of that, Madrid's results show that the team do not struggle in Bale's absence, either: they have lost just once without him, in the penultimate week of the 2013-14 La Liga campaign.
Bale went off with a soleus muscle problem at home to Sporting Gijón in mid-January - while on his best run of form since moving to the Spanish capital - before suffering a relapse a fortnight ago, the calf complaint leaving boss Zinedine Zidane unable to call on his services in a key period of the season.
He has already missed the last six matches (against Real Betis, Espanyol, Granada, Athletic Club, Roma and Málaga), and all the indications are that he will also sit out this Saturday's Madrid derby with Atlético.

Dunno. Will he offer more than we currently have?

He offers more than Navas and Sterling, that's for sure. So why not?

Depends on who Pep likes though.

If Real are getting rid because of his injury record, then he should be sold at a reduced rate.

I'd have Bale tomorrow, Navas could be sold to fund part of any deal.

I wouldn't worry about funding the deal. With our finances these days we can, quite literally, spend hundreds of millions without worry.

That story is a little misleading too (aren't most of them?). If players are being rested or subbed 10 minutes before the end when Madrid are winning 5-0, that counts as minutes missed.

I'm a bit more concerned about the number of times he's been injured - 11 times in two and a half years is quite a lot.  Do we really want to spend a huge sum on someone who's going to spend half the season out injured?  We've already got players who do that and we've had this happen before with known crocks.

He's better than just about everyone else we've got who can play out wide, but I'd want to get him for peanuts.

Money doesn't matter anymore.  11 big injuries or small niggles?

Bit misleading this article...whoever wrote it. Using words like "broken down"...well check out Aguero, Silva and Kompany's stats - and they're our 3 main players with Hart.

Bale missed those last 6 games and Real dropped 4 points against Betis and Malaga in those 6 games.

I'd have him. Prior to his injury they were talking about the Real Madrid team being built around him rather than Ronaldo....sort of says all you need to know.

If he can play 76% of games in a season, as long as we don't 'over-pay' (£60-70m would be about fair)....I'd definitely have him at City.

Topdawg wrote:Money doesn't matter anymore.  11 big injuries or small niggles?

It would've helped if the article specified, but the implication is they're not just cramps.

A little niggle might be he sits out two games. 11 times and that's 22 games. Add a few easy cup games and that could be nudging 30 games missed.

Add 2,700 minutes to his total and he's up to 83& ad no-one is bothered.

Regardless, Bale will get you at least 10-15 goals per season and at least 10-15 assists. Apart from the now injured KDB, who else at City is chipping in with those stats?

Imagine Bale alongside Aguero and another stellar attacking force (not Sterling).

I'd like a triumviate like Barca, although we'll never get 3 as good as them at the same time.

I'm looking forwards to, hopefully, a proper 4-3-3.

3 speedy gonzales top notch attackers, a proper DM and 2 creative, hard working AMs who can work anywhere along the midfield line.

KDB....Aguero....Bale?

blueboy wrote:KDB....Aguero....Bale?

Sounds like a pretty decent trio to me.  They have MSN, we have KBA.

No, not that, sounds like we Kan't Be Arsed...  BAK?  No, we already pass BAK too much...  KAB?  Yeah, KAB for TLF 

If we lob Silva in there too, we'll have BASK.

Although it has just occurred to me that KdB would be a B and not a K, so we'd have BABS 

Lewsmdowski Aguero & Bale

Iniesta and Arnoutovic and we have:

Lewandowski - Aguero - Bale - Iniesta - Arnoutovic

blueboy wrote:Iniesta and Arnoutovic and we have:

Lewandowski - Aguero - Bale - Iniesta - Arnoutovic

After Last night, we don't need BALE...

Why, because Sterling was so great?

......................

Imagine Bale alongside Aguero and another stellar attacking force (not Sterling).