Joe Hart has praised Gareth Bale’s impact both on and off the pitch since his return to Tottenham this summer and has insisted that the Welshman’s experience will prove invaluable in helping the club get over the line and win silverware.
Bale has not been able to force himself into the starting eleven at Tottenham but there were signs against Wycombe on Monday night that the on-loan Real Madrid star was growing in confidence and getting fitter.
Reports indicate that the 31-year-old is enjoying his time at Spurs and is a vocal leader in the changing room.
Hart has claimed that the winger knows his role at the club and has a massive part to play in the team’s success.
The goalkeeper told The Evening Standard: “We always knew it was going to be a project with Gaz and he fully understands that.
“He’s here to help the team win things and he demonstrated that on the pitch last night and on a few other occasions. Gaz’s obviously had his injuries but he knows how to look after himself and when he’s fit he’s going to help our team.
“He’s also doing it behind the scenes. His influence is as you’d expect – he’s been there and done it. For a club trying to do things, I think it’s important to have guys that have been there and won and can reference what it takes.
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“We talk about it a lot but we’re a team that wants to win. There are two teams winning a lot – Man City and Liverpool – and there’s seven or eight of us trying to win. So we’ve got to find different ways of doing it.”
Hart also got a rare start against Wycombe on Monday and pulled out a couple of sharp saves in the first half.
The experienced shot-stopper admitted that the Championship side made it difficult for Spurs but insisted that the North Londoners’ strength-in-depth shone through at the end.
Speaking about Tottenham’s 4-1 win in the FA Cup fourth round, the 33-year-old said: “Credit to Wycombe, I thought they played really well, made it difficult for us, scored their chance.
“But I think we played well. They’ve had a difficult couple of weeks with COVID but our bench, our power and our fitness really shone through.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I thought we saw glimpses of the old Bale against Wycombe as the Welshman was more willing to take people on and get shots away. There is plenty of reasons for optimism on the back of that display as the winger showed enough to suggest that he is going to make a much bigger impact in the second half of the season than he has done so far.
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