The past few months have been tricky for us all. Finding something to keep you sane during lockdown wasn't always easy. For Glenn Hoddle, his answer was to play golf.
He looks like he might have a new partner soon as Gareth Bale has sealed his return to Tottenham Hotspur from Real Madrid, seven years after the Welshman left the club to become the world's most expensive footballer at the time.
Was Hoddle preparing for a round or two with the returning hero?
?️ "?? ????? ?? ?? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?????????."@benhainess spoke to @GlennHoddle about Gareth Bale returning to Spurs...@btsportfootball | #THFC pic.twitter.com/smsZD5ryvE
— 90min (@90min_Football) September 18, 2020
"He's probably too good for me!" Hoddle says to 90min.
Away from the golf course, there are plenty of reasons for Hoddle to be excited. Spurs have sealed one of the most high-profile transfers of the last few years, with José Mourinho hopeful of restoring Bale to his former glory.
"I think it's very exciting," Hoddle admits. "I had a sneaky feeling a couple of years ago, I thought he might come back two years ago, and when it didn't happen I thought it might never happen. But I'm really pleased that it has happened.
"I think it's an exciting move if he can remain fit. That's the big question. That's the challenge for José and the medical team there. What you've got to look at is, if Gareth Bale was a car, the mileage in the last few years has not been a lot, but it's whether the engine is still okay. He's had two years with a lot of rest time, it's not like he's played 40-odd games over the last two seasons, so if they can get his body right, make sure they protect him right and use him correctly, he could be as exciting as he was when he first was at Tottenham, but in a different way.
"He's more experienced, he'll look after his body a little bit different and I think he'll play slightly different. Box-to-box, sprinting the lengthy of the pitch consistently, that probably won't happen.
"Gareth is also a player who plays with his head up. Some players, when they've got a load of pace, they rely on pace all the time, and when their pace starts to wilt away, they struggle. I think Gareth is a player that can create things for others. He's a passer as well as a runner, so I think we'll see a slightly different Gareth Bale. He might even be a better Gareth Bale. That's what's exciting for me."
Spurs look a little different to how they did when Bale left. André Villas-Boas is no longer in charge and the rise to prominence brought by former boss Mauricio Pochettino is over. Instead, it's the Mourinho era.
The Portuguese tactician brings a different style of football to Villas-Boas and Pochettino, but Hoddle believes Bale will fit in perfectly under Mourinho.
"I think if José wants to play counter-attacking football, which I think is what he's looking to do at the moment, then Bale is obviously right down his street," he says. "Mourinho will be delighted to have the chairman go and get Gareth Bale.
"I think Bale will be chomping at the bit for a few reasons: to prove Daniel Levy and José right, to show Real Madrid that they've made a big mistake and re-prove himself to the Spurs fans that he's still a very, very good player."
Hoddle knows just how big this move is for Tottenham. This is one of the club's favourite sons returning home to play some regular football for the first time in an eternity, but there's always a risk that this kind of deal can upset the balance of the squad.
"If you've got anything about yourself as a player, you're excited," Hoddle adds. "Poch built the squad, he built the team, but he couldn't get them over the line. That was the only problem - winning something.
"Those players want to stay at Tottenham, they want to win something for Tottenham. Having Bale and [Sergio] Reguilón come in - let's not forget about him, he's gone under the radar because of Gareth - the players are now happy to see the club showing their intent to try and win something. I think Harry Kane will be delighted.
"Spurs have got some great firepower and Gareth is going to bring even more firepower. You're going to look at the bench and think 'wow, we've got some game-changers here, we're never going to be out of a game when you can bring Son [Heung-min] or Kane or Bale or [Lucas] Moura or [Steven] Bergwijn or Dele Alli on. We've got the firepower, I just worry about the creativity. Gareth will give us that. I think Reguilón will give us that as well. Spurs are doing something about that.
"Moura, Bergwijn, Son, Alli, they've got to respond in a positive way and say 'right, I want to play with Bale, I'm going to be so good that I'm not the one to be left out'. You raise the bar, and the team starts to get even better."
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Source: 90min
