Chris Sutton slams Gareth Bale, labelling him a ‘bitter disappointment’ despite Burnley heroics


The common consensus is that Gareth Bale is back.

There was plenty of excitement during the summer transfer window when it was confirmed that Welshman would be returning to Tottenham – the club where he made his name following seven years away winning trophy after trophy with Real Madrid.

But it has taken a while for Bale to re-find his feet under Jose Mourinho in N17.

Bale started just one Premier League game before the weekend win over Burnley, with his appearances restricted more to Europa League and cup games.

But after goals and assists in the wins over Wolfsberger and West Ham United, he was unleashed from the start against Burnley and produced a man of the match display with two goals and an assist in a 4-0 rout.

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Tottenham supporters have been waiting to see the Welshman shine and they will be hoping for a successful end to the season with Bale in a front three alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min now.

For former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, however, it is too little too late.

Speaking on BBC Five Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton raged at Bale, blaming the player for his lack of game time at Spurs, labelling him a “bitter disappointment”.

Sutton said: “It’s Gareth Bale’s fault [he hasn’t started more].

“Jose Mourinho’s comment tells us everything – when Gareth Bale is fit he gets in any team in the world.

“Remember when Gareth Bale signed for Spurs everyone was talking about do Spurs have the best frontline in the Premier League? Gareth Bale has taken too long to get himself in condition. If you’re a Spurs fan you’d have wanted him fit and flying long before now.

“You can’t tell me a fit and flying Gareth Bale wouldn’t be a major asset for Jose Mourinho and if he was fit and flying Jose Mourinho would leave him out of the team? Of course he’d be in the team.

“There’s an argument he’s lost his hunger for the game, we all know he has been a world class player and it was so exciting when he signed for Spurs, but Spurs haven’t got the best out of him.

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“Whether it’s desire issues, maybe he has to be finely tuned and maybe he gets his confidence when he’s 100% fit. But how long does it take to get fit for heaven’s sake? It’s not been good enough.

“That’s brilliant [the Burnley performance], but where’s it been for the rest of the season?

“If you’re an honest Spurs fan he’s been a bitter disappointment, because we all know what Gareth Bale can do, he just hasn’t done it.”





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