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"He's towards the end of his career" - Bale agent on flop Spurs spell

The agent of Gareth Bale has opened up about his client's uneventful second spell at Tottenham. ...



Soccer

"He's towards the end of his career" - Bale agent on flop Spurs spell

The agent of Gareth Bale has opened up about his client's uneventful second spell at Tottenham. 

The 31-year old returned to Spurs on a season-long loan from Real Madrid in September. Since then he's started just four Premier League games.

Bale's starts have been largely confined to the cup competitions, with Bale's four goals coming against footballing giants like LASK, Stoke City, Wycombe Wanderers and Brighton.

Misunderstandings between Bale and Jose Mourinho regarding the player's fitness have hardly helped his cause either.

Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett was asked about his client's failure to catch fire in his second spell in North London.

"He's towards the end of his career," he told the Financial Times Business Of Football event.

"You have to ask Mourinho that [why he hasn't played more games].

"When they say what's happened to him he's won more trophies abroad than any player in British history.

"He's done very well financially, he has money for the rest of his life."

Bale could well feature in Spurs' Europa League last-32 first leg with Wolfsberg on Thursday night.

It's a competition Mourinho has won twice as a manager, and he was asked if winning it for a third time represents Tottenham's best route to Champions League football this season.

"It's difficult in any case but it's possible in both cases," he replied, "The fourth position in the Premier League is of course very difficult but is mathematically possible.

"Last season we were in a very, very bad position to try to get into the Europa League spots and in the end we made it in the last minute of the last game but we made it.

"Our motivation last season was while mathematically it's possible we have to go. I remember we were coming from a 3-1 defeat against Sheffield and even with that result that looked crucial in that moment of the season mathematically it was possible and we chased it until the last game, which is the same thing we're going to do.

"In the Europa League there are an incredible number of matches and we are in the tenth and not even in the last 16. Still in the last 32, so long, long competition. Very good teams, very good teams.

"You just look to the English teams in it and you see how strong the competition can be, but it's open. We're one of the 32 teams that has a chance to win it and we're going to try."

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Gareth Bale Jonathan Barnett Jose Mourinho Real Madrid Spurs Tottenham Tottenham Hotspur Wales