Gareth Bale would be welcome back at Tottenham, says club legend Clive Allen, as the Real Madrid forward would offer “something that no one else can” in north London.
The Wales international departed Spurs for the Spanish capital back in 2013.
He had previously spent six years at White Hart Lane, with a remarkable transformation seeing him moulded from a promising left-back into a fearsome forward.
Bale has not always found the going easy in Madrid, despite his enviable collection of medals, and speculation continues to suggest that another big-money move could soon be made.
Allen would like to see the 30-year-old retrace his steps to the Premier League, saying when asked if he would take the Welshman at Spurs: “I would, yeah. I would because I think he could provide something that no one else can.
“That is something you can never underestimate, you add a player of that ability to your team, it’s not only a talent but it lifts everybody else in the club as well.”
Allen was part of the coaching team at Tottenham when Bale burst onto the scene during the reign of Harry Redknapp.
He had come close to leaving the club prior to that, but one memorable European outing turned him into a superstar and took his career in a completely different direction.
“When Gareth walked through the door, and I don’t think he’ll dislike me for saying this, he was a young man, he was a baby,” Allen added of a man snapped up from Southampton in 2007.
“But he developed physically, mentally.
“The first time he introduced himself to the world was the Inter Milan game away in the San Siro, where he scored the most incredible hat-trick.
“But then he backed it up in the second leg at White Hart Lane, and had as good a game that night.
“But the performance of Gareth Bale showed everybody what he is capable of.
“He’s up there with one of the best that I’ve seen with extraordinary things that he could do at such speed.”
Bale has returned to favour under Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid this season, on the back of a summer in which his future was the subject of intense speculation.
He is now up to 238 appearances and 104 goals for the Blancos, with whom he has savoured four Champions League triumphs, but it remains to be seen whether a contract due to run until 2022 will be completed.