I'd rather Bale stays and were a one man team than he leaves and we get worse.
He'll leave at some point. It's inevitable, and to be honest as long as he doesn't kick up a Modric-esque fuss (which I think he's too inoffensive and amiable to do) I can't and won't hold it against him.
I'd like him to stay a bit longer, so we can win something and send him off with a Spurs medal tucked into his pocket, but I certainly don't
expect him to do so.
What I am absolutely convinced about, however, is that both outcomes (him staying and him going) will probably turn out to be good for the club. If he stays, brilliant, we have a proven game-changer on our hands.
If he leaves, we'll get a humongous fee, and will probably be able to afford two top-class players to replace him and to put a bit more money towards the looming stadium build date.
And unlike during Redknapp's tenure here, for the first time in a while I feel confident that we'll buy well this summer, and that whatever players we buy will fit a certain profile and a certain style of play. This will enable us to improve on the effectiveness of AVB's playing system, and make us a bit easier on the eye and more effective than we were at times this season. If we follow this template, we'll eventually arrive at a point where the loss of one player won't overly affect our playing ability or style, which is what the entire point of a team-based playing system is supposed to be.
So I'm quite confident about our chances of progression this summer, regardless of what happens on the final day and if Bale stays or leaves. For the first time in a long while, I feel we've got a long-term plan worth following.
