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Bale: Is this our biggest ever signing?

Biggest ever transfer

  • Ardiiles and Villa

    Votes: 27 49.1%
  • Klinmann

    Votes: 19 34.5%
  • Van Der Var

    Votes: 3 5.5%
  • Modric

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bale

    Votes: 6 10.9%

  • Total voters
    55

Gilzeantoscore

Justin Edinburgh
I was just pondering this question. Is this our biggest ever signing. Not in terms of the fee of course, but how does it rate when we look at previous transfers? Klinsmann, VDV, Modric, or dare I say it Ardiles and Villa?
 
How is the ‘biggest’ being defined? Is it; the highest profile player that we’ve signed? The bigger achievement in getting that player to sign for us? The bigger signing in the impact that it will make to us?

I think Bale is a big signing for us, but not sure that it’s the biggest. His return to the club is an emotional reunion, but he comes having been cast out of Madrid albeit unfairly. He is an excellent player, towards the end of his career perhaps but with a few years left most likely, and it’s great to have him back but let’s not pretend that he would be here if he wasn’t forced out.

Similar applies to VDV, although of course, he only had one spell with us.

Modric turned out to be a good signing, though that was in the aftermath. At the time he wasn’t as high profile, though of course he was known as a player with a lot of future potential.

I would be inclined to say from that list Klinsmann was the biggest signing. We signed him directly after World Cup 1994, when he was one of the biggest stars on the World Stage. We signed him having escaped relegation narrowly in the previous season. There was no widespread access to internet in 1994, build up, barely spoken rumours of the transfer, the first most people knew about the transfer was when the story broke on Ceefax. So to get one of the highest profile strikers, at the peak of his career, off of the back of a World Cup showcase, I’d have to say that I think Klinsmann was the biggest signing for us at of those listed.
As for his impact with us, from his ‘diving school’ charisma in the media, to the dive goal celebration against Sheffield Wednesday on his debut, his 30 goal season, and his link up with Sheringham; it was excellent business, and like Bale, ultimately he had two stints at the club.
 
Klinsmann (you should probably spell his name correctly in the poll) was the biggest since Lineker but i was thinking the presence of Bale and Kane is probably as big a name star duo we've had since Gascoigne and Lineker.
 
Klinsmann (you should probably spell his name correctly in the poll) was the biggest since Lineker but i was thinking the presence of Bale and Kane is probably as big a name star duo we've had since Gascoigne and Lineker.


Had a look at the edit option. How do you change the spelling? fudging keyboard, VDV is mispelt too.
 
Klinsmann (you should probably spell his name correctly in the poll) was the biggest since Lineker but i was thinking the presence of Bale and Kane is probably as big a name star duo we've had since Gascoigne and Lineker.

Agree with that. Klinsmann I think was bigger given he had no links to the club at the time so was harder to get and an equally big name.

Was thnking about whether Bale and Kane are bigger than Gazza and Lineker, and they probably are. I'd put Bale and Kane both in the top say 30 players in the world. I'm not sure Gazza and Lineker would have been
 
Agree with that. Klinsmann I think was bigger given he had no links to the club at the time so was harder to get and an equally big name.

Was thnking about whether Bale and Kane are bigger than Gazza and Lineker, and they probably are. I'd put Bale and Kane both in the top say 30 players in the world. I'm not sure Gazza and Lineker would have been

I’d say Gazza and Lineker were both top drawer at that time. Kane is another level though to even Lineker and Bale might be past his peak but he’s still top ten transfer fee wise.
 
Personally doesn’t feel like that ‘big’ a signing to me, given a) the team’s already played at a very high level recently (I.e. CL final), b) we arguably have a player who’s at least as good in Kane, c) Bale hasn’t been at his best and playing regularly in a long time, and d) his ties to the club helped attract him here.

But I’m still the most excited I’ve been in ages because it’s great to have a club legend return.
 
I remember the Klinsmann signing but I was so young it didn't hit me quiet like the VDV one. Nothing beats it. Out of no where. And what an impact he had.
 
I think the question can only be answered in retrospect. For me, the term 'biggest ever transfer' is a combination of player profile, and what impact the player makes to the team. In that respect, in the list of players in the poll, I'd say Van der Vaart or Klinsmann. Then time will tell what impact Bale will have.
 
A toss-up between Modric and Klinsman.

Getting Modric was a statement of intent. As a club we wanted to get the best players, and we knew the only way was to get em young. A bit like Danish. Levy got his man and it was proof of our ambition and acumen. But Klinsman will always be the stella signing par excellence. A ready made quality player. When the back page of the Sun was of interest and Cefax titalited your senses, Klinsman was boyhood dreams.

Bale is a different thing. The local lad made good, who comes back home. How good he is going to be is to be seen. Even Bale doesn't know. The dream is he rekindles his youthful wonder; with a manager who AVB learnt from, he should he in sound hands. Kane and Bale's rise at Spurs were amazing to watch. Seeing them develop into stars was a massive privilidge. The realisation, for them and us, that they could play above the rest week in and out. Can Bale, Kane and Son form one of the world's finest attacking trios?
 
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