Gareth Bale’s potential move to Manchester United is a double-edged sword

After a tumultuous season at Real Madrid, Ryan Wrenn explores whether a potential move to Manchester United is in Gareth Bale’s best interests.

All of a sudden, it seems Gareth Bale might abandon his Real Madrid dream. An impressive debut season in which he scored a wondrous goal in the Copa del Rey final and contributed to the tally that won Madrid its tenth Champions League trophy has seemingly already been forgotten by the club and it’s divided fanbase.

Marred by injury, both his own and his teammates’, Bale has failed to find consistent form in his sophomore season. Though he is far from the biggest problem of this Los Blancos side, he’s been chosen as a scapegoat for nearly every failing of the club. He shoots too often, but does not pass enough, and more importantly, he has failed to strike a partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo. It is with this precedent that it seems it would be hard to blame him if he embraces a summer move, perhaps even back to the Premier League.

Real Madrid, though, are more deserving of the Welshman’s struggles. They’ve failed to protect the Welsh winger from the increasingly hyperbolic and quasi-violent criticism from media and fans alike. More worryingly, they appear to be giving in to it by shopping him around to other clubs. There’s no doubt that Bale has had a bad season, but to give up on the 25-year-old so early is ignorant at best. That Copa del Rey goal is not the exception but the rule. When Bale is in form he’s one of the most dynamic, unstoppable forces in football. With Ronaldo already 30 and claiming

There’s no doubt that Bale has had a bad season, but to give up on the 25-year-old so early is ignorant at best. That Copa del Rey goal is not the exception but the rule. When Bale is in form he’s one of the most dynamic, not to mention unstoppable, forces in football. With Ronaldo already 30 and claiming an MLS move is inevitable, one could easily see Bale becoming the club’s new talisman if he were allowed to stay. Alas, it appears Los Blancos and their fans could indeed regret losing him.

So where would Bale fit? His formidable asking price no doubt limits him to only a handful of suitors. With Chelsea increasingly looking to break even, Paris Saint Germain prudently abiding to Financial Fair Play and Barcelona already fielding the holy trinity, that leaves Manchester United as the only other feasible option. It’s no surprise then that the bookies believe Old Trafford is Bale’s most likely destination if he were to leave. That would make sense for both clubs. It’s fairly well-known that Real are looking to replace Iker Casillas in-goal and it’s believed that United’s keeper David de Gea is the most likely target. United might be reluctant to give up arguably their best player were it not for the rumored move in the opposite direction of Bale.

It’s fairly well-known that Real are looking to replace Iker Casillas in-goal and it’s believed that United’s keeper David de Gea is their most likely target. United might be reluctant to give up arguably their best player were it not for the rumored move in the opposite direction of Bale.

Bale’s previous success in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur makes him an attractive target for the Louis Van Gaal’s as he seeks to rebuild the Red Devils. The arrival last week of Dutch left winger Memphis Depay might have quiet down the critics slightly, but there’s no doubt that United would still be improved by Bale’s arrival. Though he’s arguably at his best on the left-wing, he’s proved at Real that he can play on the right effectively. That pair flanking fellow rumored United target Edinson Cavani could possible create the best attacking trio in the Premier League.

However, that front line represents a combined cost close to £150 million. It might seem odd that a team with obvious needs elsewhere on the pitch would invest so much on just three players. It becomes easier to understand though when you consider what United might be attempting. They’re not looking for sturdy, defensive players. They’re looking for superstars. They’re looking for a new generation of Real Madrid’s ‘Galacticos’.

The inherent problem with a policy that favors almost exclusively recruiting world-class attacking talent is the lack of balance. Madrid so often have failed to solve this issue over the 15 years since the introduction of the ‘Galacticos’. If their offensive pieces are fragmented by injury or poor form, Real too often lose their rhythm. When that inevitably happens, as it did this season, the blame is laid incorrectly on one of those overly expensive cogs. The cycle thus begins anew, the marked player is sold and another great new hope is brought in. The possibility that Real might trade Bale for a keeper suggests they might be learning from their mistakes. The same could not be said for United though.

So it is with some irony that Bale might find himself in a remarkably similar situation in Manchester as he did in Madrid. As his former Madrid team-mate Angel di Maria has found, a sizable price tag is no longer a guarantee of minutes at United; meeting impossibly high expectations and outshining several other talented players for your position, though, will leave you in good stead.  Bale is much better suited to do just that compared to di Maria, but that doesn’t make him entirely immune.

More importantly, it’s unlikely Bale is thrilled at the prospect of shouldering all or part of the blame for the imbalance of the rest of the team. The cold reality might be that Bale is better suited to be the focal point of a team, as he was at Tottenham, rather than a Galáctico. Unfortunately, any team that can afford him at this point is much more likely to force his square peg into a round hole than they are to build around him. In any case, Bale deserves better than what he’s getting at Real. If United and Van Gaal are smart, they’ll be on their best behavior if they’re lucky enough to win his signature.

• Published on 05/21/2015 at 6:30 AM EST
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 2:53 PM EST