‘I expected more’ – Berbatov gives verdict on Bale return to Spurs rumours

Dimitar Berbatov has dismissed the idea of Gareth Bale returning to Tottenham, insisting that the North London club need to prioritise strengthening their backline.

Tottenham have been linked with moves for a whole host of Serie A stars since Antonio Conte’s appointment.

Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie and Inter Milan centre-back Stefan De Vrij have all been mooted as potential January targets for Spurs.

Berbatov believes that Tottenham have more than enough firepower in the attacking areas and that Conte will prioritise strengthening the defence.

The Bulgarian told Betfair (as relayed by The Metro): “Let’s first give Antonio Conte time to know his Spurs team, see where the weak points are, how he’s going to play and what positions he thinks he needs to strengthen.

“Then maybe in the January window if he decides he needs someone, one or two players – not many – he will go and buy.

“For now, he knows he has a big task on his hands to make the team play the way he wants them to play. Where do they need to strengthen? Based on performances and goals conceded and results, the defence should be strengthened.

“Maybe one player there and one for the middle of the park. In the attacking positions, we know the types of players he has – Harry Kane, Heung-min Son. So, he should pay attention to the defence.”

OkDiario’s Eduardo Inda claimed on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito this week that Conte had urged Daniel Levy to re-sign Gareth Bale in January.

Some Spurs fans on social media are quite excited at the prospect of Bale-Conte link up but Berbatov insisted that he cannot see the Welshman returning to N17 in January.

The striker, who played with Bale during his first spell at Tottenham, said about the rumour: “I see that Gareth Bale has been linked with another return, he started slowly the last time he was at Spurs.

“Everybody was excited but he did start slowly. There was improvement as well in his performances. I must say I expected more, but overall it was satisfying seeing him back in a Spurs shirt.

“Is he coming back? Honestly, I don’t think he would like to go back. I think he would like to see his contract with Real Madrid finish and then decide what to do.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While Conte would have likely discussed transfer targets with Paratici before signing on the dotted line, common sense suggests that he would want to analyse the Spurs squad closely before settling on definitive targets. So, the speculation linking us to the likes of Bale is certainly premature. 

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