‘Dragged down by the club’ – Berbatov issues warning to Bale ahead of Spurs return

Former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov has warned Gareth Bale that he could be dragged down by the mentality of the Spurs dressing room if he completes his proposed move to North London.

Reports indicate that the Welshman is on the verge of sealing his return to Tottenham, seven years on from having left to join Real Madrid (Fabrizio Romano).

The 30-year-old has scored more than a hundred times for the Los Blancos and won 13 trophies during his time at the Bernabeu, including four Champions League titles.

His experience of winning the biggest trophies in the game could come in handy for a Spurs side who have been starved of success of late.

In fact, the Lilywhites have not lifted a major trophy since their League Cup win in 2008, back when Bale was still part of the club.

However, Berbatov fears that rather than being a positive influence on the Tottenham dressing room, the 30-year-old could be dragged down by the new environment.

When asked about Bale’s rumoured return to Spurs, the Bulgarian told Betfair (as relayed by The Express): “It’s so important to have people who have won trophies in your dressing room, whether they be players or managers, so can Mourinho and Bale instil that winning mentality at Spurs?

“Or will they be dragged down by the club? It’s going to be fascinating to find out.

“I went to United having only won a League Cup and they changed me to become a consistent winner.

“At Spurs, the dressing room could possibly change Bale and Mourinho. That is the challenge at Spurs now.

“Bale has already been in the Premier League and done very well, and it will be familiar to him.”

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Bale, like Kane, is not a vocal character and prefers to lead by example. Unlike the signings of Hojbjerg and Doherty, the Welshman will also not help address Mourinho’s complaint of the team being too nice as Bale is quite a non-confrontational person.

However, the 30-year-old is someone who puts the team ahead of himself, which is why I believe Mourinho will enjoy working with him. Even if he fails to capture anything close to his old form, just his arrival could give a big uplift to the Spurs dressing room.

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