Amid what has been a turbulent period for Tottenham Hotspur in recent years following numerous managerial changes, Daniel Levy and co haven't always acted particularly wisely in the transfer market, with big fees having been dished out for players who ultimately went on to underwhelm.
That is the case with regard to Tanguy Ndombele, for instance, with the mercurial Frenchman only recently sealing a third successive loan move away from N17, despite signing on what remains a club-record £63m deal back in 2019.
The former Lyon maestro has sealed a switch to Turkish giants, Galatasaray alongside teammate, Davinson Sanchez, with the Colombian international departing for a reported fee of just £12.8m – someway short of the £42m that was spent to secure his services from Ajax six years ago.
Those two recent exits encapsulate the troubles that the Lilywhites have endured on the transfer front of late, although that was not always the case as far as Levy is concerned, with the Spurs chairman having made notable shrewd investments in years gone by.
Arguably the major success story of modern memory was the bargain capture of Gareth Bale from Southampton during Martin Jol's time at the helm, with the Welshman going on to earn the north Londoners a handsome profit following his subsequent sale.
How much did Tottenham pay for Gareth Bale?
The Cardiff-born sensation had begun life on the books with the Saints, with the teenage talent making a promising start to his senior career after scoring five goals and registering 12 assists in just 45 games in all competitions with the south coast side.
Despite having been operating in the second tier at the time, those at N17 had seemingly seen enough to be impressed by the promising youngster, with Jol sanctioning a move for the then full-back in the summer of 2007.
As per The Guardian, the in-demand gem had also been courting attention from rivals Manchester United at the time – with his compatriot Ryan Giggs seemingly aiding in the Red Devils' pursuit – yet it was Spurs who ultimately won the race for a reported fee of around £10m.
That investment may have initially looked like an errant purchase amid Bale's early woes in the capital, as he failed to win any of his first 24 Premier League games, yet those struggles were swiftly forgotten as the wing wizard ultimately caught fire.
How many goals did Bale score for Tottenham?
Even despite the early faith and persistence that was shown in the young Bale, few at Spurs could quite have predicted the 6 foot 1 speedster's eventual explosion as he blossomed into something of an emerging superstar under Harry Redknapp's watch.
Having been pushed into a more advanced attacking berth down the left flank, the devastating starlet memorably wreaked havoc on Inter Milan both home and away in the Champions League in late 2010, scoring three times and registering two assists in those two group stage meetings with the reigning champions.
While Redknapp's men would subsequently go on to crash out to Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage, the genie was already out of the bottle so to speak, with Bale's talents having been exposed to the watching world.
That would help to ignite a stellar run of form for the young dynamo over the next few years, with Bale scoring ten goals and providing 14 assists in the league during the 2011/12 season, before contributing 29 goal involvements in just 33 top-flight games in the following campaign.
Premier League
33
21
8
Europa League
8
3
3
FA Cup
2
1
3
League Cup
1
1
0
Total
44
26
14
Stats via Transfermarkt
Such remarkable form in 2012/13, in particular, saw the former Saints ace hailed as a "super talent" by then-boss Andre Villas-Boas, with that hot streak helping the wideman to achieve his overall club tally of 71 goals and 58 assists in 236 games in all competitions – including his later return on loan in 2020/21.
Those highs both domestically and on the continent also caused some of Europe's elite clubs to sit up and take notice, with those at the Bernabeu the most prominent side to come calling in the summer of 2013.
How much did Tottenham sell Bale for?
While reports were again rife that Man United were intent on keeping Bale in the Premier League by taking him to Old Trafford, it was Madrid who ultimately once the race for his signature just over a decade ago, calling time on a stunning six-year spell in north London.
Amid the interest from the Red Devils, Levy was able to coax the La Liga giants into forking out was then a world record fee of £85m, eclipsing the £80m that had been spent on the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo just a few years earlier.
Despite the obvious blow of losing such an influential and talismanic figure, on a purely financial basis that high-profile sale represented impressive business for the Lilywhites, with that £85m fee representing a 750% rise from the club's initial investment back in '07.
What is Gareth Bale doing now?
For all the talk of the toxic end to the winger's time in the Spanish capital – as he notably irked supporters with the infamous 'Wales.Golf.Madrid' banner – Bale's stint abroad can still be considered an overriding success as he claimed five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles in that time.
With a more than respectable haul of 106 goals and 67 assists in 258 games under his belt in all competitions for Los Blancos, the Spurs hero certainly made his mark in his new surroundings, memorably scoring that outrageous overhead kick in the European showpiece win over Liverpool in 2018.
Having ultimately brought his time with Madrid to a close last year, the 34-year-old sought one last adventure in America with LAFC, scoring a last-gasp equaliser in the MLS Cup final victory back in November.
After an underwhelming World Cup in Qatar as Wales failed to make it out of the group, the ageing ace called time on his playing days in January earlier this year, bringing to an end a glittering career for both club and country.
While it may be in Spain that the now-retired star claimed his riches, he will likely not forget that it was at White Hart Lane where his talents were truly nurtured and developed…
