'I believe that Zinedine Zidane is happy that Gareth Bale left,' says Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho believes that Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is happy that Gareth Bale has left the Spanish club.
The Welshman was struggling for game time at the Santiago Bernabeu outfit after they blocked a permanent transfer to China last season.
Speaking about Gareth Bale's transfer at a press conference, Mourinho said:
"I didn’t speak with Zinedine, but I believe that Zinedine is happy that he left. We are happy that he is here, Gareth, of course, is happy to be here. So hopefully in the end of the season, we are all happy, and he can stay with us."
Jose Mourinho happy to take Gareth Bale off Zinedine Zidane's hands
Gareth Bale made his return to the Premier League on a one-year loan deal from Real Madrid. The Welshman reportedly became the highest-paid player in the Premier League despite Los Blancos agreeing to pay half of his salary.
Bale won four Champions League trophies during his time at Real Madrid but fell out with manager Zinedine Zidane over lack of game time last season. The 31-year-old made just 12 starts in La Liga last season, struggling to get into the team after the restart.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man, touted to take on the mantle from Cristiano Ronaldo, failed to capture the imagination of the Los Blancos fanbase, regularly being jeered at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett recently criticised the Spanish giants for their treatment of his client and believes he won't return even after the loan spell.
"There was a build-up of clashing personalities, a build-up of not being supported. There were many different things. I think for someone who has done as well and as great as he has for Real Madrid, I don’t think he got the respect he deserved. I think that was big problem.
"What the fans did was a disgrace and the club didn’t help. I hope the issue of returning to Real Madrid does not arise. He will be so successful at Tottenham, he will want to stay and it will be easy to do the rest."