Tottenham Hotspur Is Making A Big Statement By Signing Gareth Bale And Alex Morgan

Last week, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed one of the biggest transfers of the season. Gareth Bale, who left the club seven years ago to sign for Real Madrid for a then record-breaking fee, was back.

The week before, the club announced another very impressive signing. Alex Morgan, the two-time Women’s World Cup winner, would join Spurs’ women’s team.

Both deals make a lot of sense for Spurs. And not only because they are bringing in proven winners with full trophy cabinets who, at their respective peaks, were considered among the very best players in the world.

Off the pitch, Bale and Morgan are also genuine global stars.

Take their social media accounts, where Morgan has a combined following on Twitter and Instagram of 13.1 million. The current star of the Spurs men’s team, Harry Kane, has 12.7 million. Bale has 61.6 million.

Of course, a strong social media presence doesn’t make a player a good signing. But it does instantly give the club access to a new audience potentially in the millions and the commercial opportunities that come with that.

Both signings, which are for the 2020/21 season only at this stage, also reflect the club’s rapid growth in the past five years. In March, before the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was known, Spurs announced its financial results for 2018/19. Revenue was up to $534 million and profit climbed to $200 million. It meant Spurs had increased its operating income 380% in the past five years.

In that time, the club has opened a new stadium and training centre, both considered among the best in the world. The team made an improbable run to the final of the Champions League, Europe’s richest club competition, in 2019, and last season hired Jose Mourinho, one of the most recognisable coaches in the world. An Amazon
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documentary was made of the club’s most-recent season with reports it will be followed up with a dedicated Spurs store on Amazon.  

In recent years, Spurs has overtaken arch-rival Arsenal as the highest-revenue-generating team in London and is currently valued at $1.624 billion. Adding more star names to its men and women’s set ups seems like a logical next step.

Given the financial impact the ongoing pandemic has had on professional sports teams, any additional revenue streams will also be welcome.

Spurs took out a low-interest, £175 million ($223.8m) loan from the Bank of England to help cover the costs of the pandemic, which include rebates due to broadcasters and significant loss of ticketing income. The club made it clear the money would not be spent on player transfers and both Bale and Morgan have joined on deals that make financial sense for Spurs.

Real Madrid will reportedly continue paying at least half of Bale’s estimated £600,000 ($777k) weekly wage while he is on loan at Tottenham. There is no transfer fee for Morgan, either, whose salary is paid by U.S. Soccer.

While Spurs will undoubtedly hope both signings can increase the number of eyeballs on the club, the deals are not all about commercial appeal. It is expected Bale and Morgan, both 31, can have a significant impact on the pitch as well as off it.

For all the talk about Bale’s fondness for golf and missed games while at Real Madrid, he won four Champions League titles there and scored more than 100 goals. He returns to Spurs a different player to the one that left, but perhaps feeling he has a point to prove. If Bale shows anything like his best, he can make a real difference on the pitch for Spurs this season.

Morgan joins having returned to playing in August, following the birth of her daughter, Charlie, in May. She is one of the biggest names in soccer, with a dazzling CV that includes 107 goals for her country, an Olympic gold medal and two Women’s World Cup titles. While Spurs are not expected to be title challengers after winning promotion to the Women’s Super League last season, the presence of Morgan will massively strengthen the team.

If Bale and Morgan can shine on the pitch this season, their star power off it will only grow. And that can only be a good thing for Tottenham Hotspur.