In the words of Eminem, “guess who’s back, back again.” Gareth Bale has returned to Tottenham Hotspur, the place where he propelled himself to superstardom, and in the process became the most expensive player ever, from 2013-2016. He’s now on loan from Real Madrid for the remainder of the 2020-21 Premier League season, but a knee injury has kept him from featuring for Spurs thus far this season.
However, he has now recovered and he’s back in training with the first team. Will he feature against West Ham United on Sunday? It looks very likely, but we’ll probably have to wait until at least Friday to find out.
Feeling sharp ?? @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/5T4ldoYqHg
— Gareth Bale (@GarethBale11) October 12, 2020
That’s when manager Jose Mourinho will address the media, and perhaps he’ll fill us all in how the Welsh winger has progressed in the few weeks since the blockbuster announcement of his return. It’s probably more likely we see Gareth Bale play limited minutes, off the bench, instead of getting inserted directly into the starting lineup. After a long layoff without seeing action, Bale is more likely to be eased back into it.
The 31-year-old scored 42 times in 146 appearances for the north London side from 2007-2013. Spurs currently sit sixth in the table, with 7 points and a +7 goal differential, a number largely boosted by their 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United in the final game before the break. West Ham United enter this clash sitting 10th in the table.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.