ZZ FAULT
Zinedine Zidane slammed by Spanish media for ‘disastrous’ Gareth Bale saga which has ‘devalued’ the Real Madrid forward
ZINEDINE ZIDANE'S handling of the Gareth Bale saga has been "disastrous" and "devalued" the Welshman.
That is according to sections of the Spanish media, who have slammed the Real Madrid boss for his treatment of Bale.
3
Zidane infuriated both Bale and his agent Jonathan Barnett with his brutal comments this week trying to force the winger out of the Bernabeu.
Despite claiming a deal for Bale to leave was "very close" on Saturday night, the Welshman appears no closer to leaving the club and was even subbed on against Arsenal last night - and scored to spark Real's comeback.
Spanish online newspaper scathing assessment of the Los Blancos boss proved even Zidane - with his three Champions League wins in charge - is not immune to criticism and Bale does still have some support.
The paper wrote: "The mess he has got himself into hurts him. He devalued the Welshman more and angered Florentino Pérez [his president].
"Zidane wants to get rid of this player as soon as possible and, since it is not easy at all, they should have told him to have been more tactful.
"It cannot be forgotten that a little more than a year ago he [Bale] gave the club a Champions League.
"There are members and fans who are upset, as there are in the club, about how Zidane wants to fire the Welshman urgently."
His dislike of Bale seems to be more than just a football thing. Bale may not be the first superstar to lose his coach’s confidence, but he might be the first to be torn to shreds every time his boss speaks. As a transfer market strategy, this is also a fiasco.
Marca journalist Jesus Sanchez on Zinedine Zidane
Zidane insisted last night that Marco Asensio's cruciate injury will not have any impact on Bale's departure, with the club still working hard to find a new club for their former world-record signing.
But with a Premier League return seemingly out of the question, a move to China would be the most likely for Bale, if Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain do not come calling.
The winger would prefer to stay in Europe but is likely to become the first £1million-a-week footballer if he joins the Chinese Super League - although a deal must be done by July 31, when the Chinese transfer window closes.
Agent Barnett, meanwhile, has ruled out any possibility of a loan move.
The whole saga has left a very sour taste in the mouth.
Even Marca, so often a newspaper supportive of Real, hit out at Zidane for potentially bringing down Bale's market price. They went with the headline, 'Bale had a bullet left' after the Welshman's reactive finish against the Gunners in Washington.
In a comment piece written by Jesus Sanchez criticising the coach for making the problems personal, he wrote: "Zidane is also taking decisions when it comes to Bale and he is being particularly harsh.
3
3
Latest Gareth Bale news
"His dislike of Bale seems to be more than just a football thing. Bale may not be the first superstar to lose his coach’s confidence, but he might be the first to be torn to shreds every time his boss speaks.
"As a transfer market strategy, this is also a fiasco. If Bale doesn’t play then his value will drop and any sale will be even more disastrous. If, in addition to the player not playing, the coach openly explains his plan then he loses an asset, even if the objective is to lose him.
"It’s dangerous because things change in the world of football and because Bale was an essential part of these recent Real Madrid golden years. He’s not just another player."
Real Madrid coach Zidane says that Gareth Bale refused to play against Bayern
Topics