Gareth Bale’s agent says Jose Mourinho’s ‘biggest mistake’ with Welsh star was not giving him freedom to express himself like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as he compares the ex-Tottenham boss to Julius Caesar
- Gareth Bale returned to Tottenham on loan amid much fanfare in September
- But his return to north London has been largely underwhelming this season
- Welsh star wasn’t played very often by Jose Mourinho before manager’s sacking
- Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett says Mourinho should have given Bale freedom
- Barnett drew a comparison between Mourinho and Roman general Julius Caesar
Gareth Bale‘s agent has revealed he told Jose Mourinho how to get the best out of the Welsh star – but refuses to blame the former Tottenham manager for his client’s underwhelming form.
Jonathan Barnett also drew a comparison to the Roman general Julius Caesar when describing Mourinho’s time in charge of the north London club.
Bale returned to Spurs on loan from Real Madrid amid much fanfare back in September but has struggled to rekindle the magic of his first spell at the club between 2007 and 2013.
Gareth Bale returned to Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid at the start of the season – but manager Jose Mourinho didn’t entirely trust the Welsh star to perform
The result was that a frustrated Bale rarely started Premier League matches under Mourinho
The 31-year-old winger has scored 14 goals and contributed three assists in 31 appearances across all competitions but starts in the Premier League have been thin on the ground.
Bale has shown glimpses of his brilliance, however, such as his hat-trick against Sheffield United last week.
And Barnett admitted that Bale has endued ‘a rough time under Mourinho’ before the Portuguese manager was sacked last month.
‘As I said to Spurs at the beginning: ‘If you give him a run, put your trust in him, let him play his own game, not tell him he’s got to do this and that, treat him like a [Lionel] Messi or a [Cristiano] Ronaldo – I’m not saying he’s as good – and you’ll see,’ he told SNTV.
Bale has performed well since Mourinho was sacked, scoring three against Sheffield United
‘It’s been proven that every time he’s been left like that, he’s gone and scored a lot of goals. He’s world class.
‘So that was the biggest mistake – I’m not going to blame anybody.’
Asked if he blamed Mourinho for Bale’s inconsistent form, Barnett replied: ‘Well, I wouldn’t do that.
‘He’s a very successful coach… but Julius Caesar was also very good, but I don’t think he would be very good with the armies now.’
Bale’s future remains uncertain amid reports he could spend a second season on loan at Tottenham, with Real again contributing heavily to his £600,000-a-week wages.
Barnett says Bale’s future remains up in the air with one year remaining on his Real contract
Barnett says it is highly unlikely that Bale has any future at Real, where he has only one year remaining on his contract.
He said: ‘He’s still one of the best players in the world, but he’s only got four games left so we will have to see.
‘It’s a three-party discussion; it’s us, Real Madrid and Tottenham. We have our views and we will let them know at the right time.’
Asked if there was any chance of a Bernabeu return, Barnett added: ‘I very much doubt that, but if they want to put him on the bench then that’s fine.
‘They want to put me on the bench with that salary? That’s fine for me as well.’
