Gareth Bale has seen some positive signs from Tottenham after their near-relegation from the Premier League and has made a prediction ahead of their first full season under Roberto De Zerbi.
Following their final league game of the season, De Zerbi warned the Spurs hierarchy that the club needs to build a new team to avoid being in a similar situation again, and the Tottenham leadership has seemingly listened to the Italian’s advice.
Spurs are expected to soon announce Jan Paul van Hecke as their third signing of the summer following the captures of Marcos Sensei and Andy Robertson.
The club have been proactive in trying to strengthen their squad instead of prolonging negotiations to save funds, which represents a huge departure from their modus operandi during the Daniel Levy era.
Gareth Bale is hopeful Roberto De Zerbi can take Tottenham back where they belong
Bale admits he sees a difference in the way the North London club are operating after getting a major warning last season.
The Welshman is hopeful that De Zerbi will get to build the team he wants at Spurs and take the club back up to the top end of the Premier League table after two successive 17th-place finishes.
When asked about what he thinks about the developments at Tottenham, Bale told FOS News: “Yeah, it’s a tough one, I think. There’s obviously been kind of a change in the running of the club, and it’s kind of been a little bit of a tumultuous time, I guess, over the last few years.
“Obviously, they won the Europa League last year, finished 17th, so it kind of papered over the cracks. They were lucky for survival again this year, so I think it’s a warning sign, and hopefully now this summer De Zerbi’s coming.
“He seems to have kind of got the team playing relatively well for the last five games, survived, and now it’s like a fresh slate. Can there be a good transfer window this summer? Hopefully, he can put a team or squad together that’s capable of getting back where they belong.”
Spurs have handed De Zerbi the keys to the club
What is clear from the profile of players Tottenham are pursuing is that De Zerbi is having a big say on the club’s recruitment decisions.
In fact, according to reports, Sebastian Kehl’s talks regarding the sporting director role at Spurs collapsed due to De Zerbi, with the German put off by the power and influence the 46-year-old has at the club.
The fact that Tottenham are pushing ahead with their rebuild without even hiring a sporting director is clear evidence that the Italian is the one calling the shots, which is what many Spurs fans had asked for.