Bale: Waiting for Real mega deal was very stressful
WORLD’S most expensive player Gareth Bale says he has endured a “very stressful” summer waiting for Tottenham to agree his £86m sale to Real Madrid.
The Wales forward, who now earns £300,000 per week at the Spanish club, admits he grew frustrated by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s refusal to sign off the deal.
Bale angered White Hart Lane boss Andre Villas-Boas by refusing to train as he waited for the transfer, which finally went through on Sunday, a day before the European deadline.
“It’s been very stressful, to say the least. I knew they [Real] were interested from the start and I was always confident the move would go through but obviously the chairman, Daniel Levy, had to do his business and do Tottenham well so I kind of understood that,” Bale told BT Sport.
“But at the same time, thinking of myself it was a hard time. It was stressful and I just had to be patient and try and focus and I believed they would get the deal through. Finally they did and it was great to be unveiled.”
Bale has been warned he is not guaranteed a place in the world’s most glamorous team, despite his record-breaking price tag.
Real have shown their willingness to upset big names by leaving World Cup-winning Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas on the bench and selling fans’ favourite Mesut Ozil to Arsenal.
English coach Paul Clement, who also worked under new Real manager Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, said: “There is a lot of competition for places; no-one will be guaranteed anything. Gareth has the goalscoring talent and ability to set up goals for others. We have a lot of exciting players. Carlo Ancelotti has a clear idea how to use him but things can change.”