Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has claimed that Gareth Bale has fallen out of love with the game and is not motivated to prove himself at Tottenham Hotspur.
Bale’s performances since his fairytale return to Spurs in the summer have been disappointing and the Welshman’s appetite for football has been questioned in the media.
However, the 31-year-old has shown promising signs in his last two performances after he scored and provided an assist against Wolfsberger last Thursday and was Tottenham’s most dangerous player in the 2-1 weekend defeat to West Ham after replacing Erik Lamela at half-time.
Jose Mourinho admitted after the game that he did not doubt the on-loan Real Madrid’s star’s quality but suggested that the winger’s minutes have to be managed carefully since he is not ready to start two matches in a row in quick succession.
Despite Bale’s impressive second-half showing at the London Stadium, McAvennie questioned if the returning superstar is motivated to perform at his best for Spurs.
The pundit told Football Insider: “I think he’s enjoying being out of the golf course rather than on the football field at the moment!
“Money is not a problem for him. He obviously doesn’t have the hunger and desire.
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“Mourinho has brought him over and given him a chance. He must be saying ‘I’m paying your wages and you’re not doing anything for me’.
“Listen, I know they sold a lot of jerseys through it but the money they’re paying him and the performances they’re getting.
“There are places in that team for him and players in there where you go ‘at 60 per cent, Bale’s better than you’ and he’s not getting in.
“There’s something not right, whether it be the appetite and hunger and he’s got so much money he doesn’t care anymore.
“He must have fallen out of love with the game. I don’t get it. With Wales, he turns it on a wee bit. It’s a strange one.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Bale not only showed that he can be dangerous on the ball against Wolfsberger and West Ham but I thought there was also a difference in his attitude. He demanded the ball from his teammates and pushed others on. It was evident that the Welshman very much cares about proving his critics wrong and helping the side.
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