Pochettino unsure if Gareth Bale headed back to Tottenham

Let the rampant speculation begin! Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked about Real Madrid midfielder Gareth Bale’s transfer situation after the Juventus match today, and while he didn’t offer any new information his comments stoked the fires of the transfer rumor mill, sparking suggestions that the Welsh Wizard might actually make a spectacular return to the club that turned him into a superstar.

But first, let’s back up a second. Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane started the ball rolling this morning, giving quotes to the media that basically said that he wants Gareth Bale out of his club, and he wants him out yesterday. (You can tell this is a big story because it was reported on by CNN.)

“We hope he leaves soon. It would be best for everyone. We are working on his transfer to a new team.

”I have nothing personal against him, but there comes a time where things are done because they must be done.”

That prompted a terse reply from Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, who called Zidane “a disgrace.”

There are only a couple of clubs that Bale could move to, and strangely, Tottenham Hotspur is considered to be one of them. When asked, Pochettino didn’t deny it, but also didn’t confirm, saying he had no idea whether Bale was coming, and that it was all down to Daniel Levy.

“At the moment I don’t have any information from my chairman. I don’t know if we are [in for him] or it’s another club.

”I saw in the media but I do not know which club is going to sign him. I do not know if it is us or another club. It is the job of my chairman to build the best possible club.”

Honestly, I believe Pochettino here. I don’t think he has any clue whether or not Daniel Levy is working on a deal to bring Bale back “home,” because Pochettino was preparing his team to play Juventus in Singapore. So this all could be a huge tempest in a teapot. It’s more than likely that the mystery club involved with a Bale move would be another mega club with more money than God, such as Bayern Munich or (ugh) Manchester United. But we have no idea.

Any deal to bring Bale back to Spurs would have to be a sweetheart one for Tottenham, as Bale is on absolutely massive wages — something like a one year loan with an option to buy and Madrid covering the (vast) percentage of his wages would be a possibility.

For now, Spurs fans should hit the brakes, as there’s really no information beyond speculative imaginings that Tottenham and Levy are in any way involved. But, as a thought exercise, consider a Tottenham team with Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Gareth Bale. That’s a title contender, no?