Only two games into the new season, and Tottenham fans are not impressed, and you can’t really blame them. A lacklustre loss (0-1) at home to Everton, was followed by a 2-1 win in the Europa League, against Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv. The English side were losing 1-0 until the 80th minute, in which Plovdiv were down to 9 men.

Clearly something needed to change, and so arrives the prodigal son of Tottenham, Gareth Bale. The Welsh star left North London seven years ago for a world record fee of €100 million, and found himself at Real Madrid. He performed admirably throughout his time, scoring many goals, and showing that he had what it takes to be one of the modern day “Galacticos”. Unfortunately, the last couple of seasons have been tumultuous, which he is partly at fault for, but definitely not the main perpetrator. That has to lie with Real coach Zinedine Zidane.

The problem for Zidane is that he has never been a fan of Bale, while club president Florentino Perez is, which frustrated Zidane even more. It seemed that Zidane had got his way last year when Bale almost left for China, before it was blocked at the last minute. Zidane publicly criticised Bale, and Bale hit back with his Welsh flag after a fantastic performance for his country.

He has been criticised for being a greedy, and selfish, but let’s take a minute and look at it objectively. It wasn’t his fault that he was offered the money he got from Real Madrid, nor was he the one that benched him, blocked his move, or criticised him during a press conference. The fans turned on him forgetting all of the decisive goals he scored, most of them crucial in bringing titles back to the Bernabeu. He responded by saying nothing, and collecting his checks. Something that each and every one of us would do, if given the chance. Once the loan move had been confirmed, Bale even went to say goodbye, and wished every one good luck, including Zidane.

I for one am happy to see Bale back in the premier league, and with a manager that will be happy to have him on loan, at Real Madrid’s expense – Spanish Giants are paying half his salary still. If Bale’s smile is anything to go by, he is happy to be back, too. Maybe because he gets to play football again, or Mourinho has given him this week off to play some golf before he joins up with the team.