Tottenham Hotspur

Damien Comolli: 'Harry Redknapp tried to sell Gareth Bale'

By Shane Callaghan, Reporter | 18 November 2014

Former Spurs director of football Damien Comolli says that Harry Redknapp is afforded too much credit for the radical transformation of Gareth Bale.

Harry Redknapp does not deserve credit for Gareth Bale's transformation from Tottenham Hotspur left-back to Real Madrid star, according to Spurs' former director of football Damien Comolli

The Welshman's stock at White Hart Lane grew dramatically after Redknapp began using him on the wing rather than in a defensive role.

He subsequently commanded a world record £85m fee in September 2013, but Comolli - who signed Bale from Southampton in 2007 - says that Redknapp's role in the 25-year-old's evolution has been overstated.

"I've got to say, I've been working with data since 2005 or 2006 in terms of recruitment," the Frenchman told Newstalk. "We did it at Spurs. We used data in terms of team selection.

"Spurs actually told Harry Redknapp where to play Gareth Bale, because he wanted to get rid of him.

"Data was showing Bale would be an outstanding left winger when they were playing him at left-back."

Bale has scored 28 goals and bagged 24 assists in his first 54 games for the Spanish giants, also helping them to Champions League glory last season.