There are a few days to go until the Premier League returns, and at the moment, Tottenham Hotspur appear fairly well-equipped to hit the ground running.
Ange Postecoglou's side looked good in preseason, and Dominic Solanke's recent £65m addition could be a real game-changer for the North Londoners.
However, there's always room to improve, and based on reports from earlier this month, the Lilywhites could complete a move reminiscent of the one that brought Gareth Bale back to the club in 2020.
This deal would also be the perfect way to secure an upgrade on German international Timo Werner.
Spurs' potential Bale-esque transfer
The player in question is Wilfried Zaha, who was touted for a move to Spurs, among several other clubs, earlier this month in a report from journalist Graeme Bailey.
Now, before the pitchforks come out, we are not claiming that the former Crystal Palace ace is anywhere near the level Bale was, nor are we saying that the pair play in very similar ways, but should this move happen, there are a few similarities to the move in 2020.
The first is very simple: the return of a former Premier League player to the league following a stint with a huge club abroad, Real Madrid in the Welshman's case and Galatasaray in the Ivorians.
Moreover, when the former Saints gem returned to North London, he was on the fringes of things at the Bernabeu and not necessarily enjoying his football, and while the £120k-per-week Abidjan-born star was reasonably productive in Turkey last season, it's been widely reported that he wants a return to English football.
The next similarity is the fact that both players would be 31 at the time of their respective moves and seen more as a luxury addition to the club's attacking contingent, someone who can start games here and there or come off the bench and make something happen before inevitably being moved on.
Lastly, the final similarity depends on the business side of this potential move, as the dream scenario for Levy and Co would surely be to do what they did in 2020 and bring the former Premier League star in on a one-year loan deal, thus avoiding a hefty transfer fee and any longer-term commitment to a player who's on the wrong side of 30 – although whether Galatasaray would agree to a loan remains to be seen.
However, aside from the parallels to the move that brought Bale back to N17 four years ago, there is another reason Zaha would be a great addition to Postecoglou's squad this season: He could replace Werner.
How Zaha compares to Werner
Yes, being a natural left winger, Zaha could be the dream backup option to Son Heung-min at Spurs and, in the process, take Werner's place in the squad entirely, as while he had his moments last season, he wasn't all that impressive.
If we compare the pair's raw output from last season, it's the "unplayable" Ivorian, as former professional James Collins dubbed him, who comes out on top.
For example, in his 42 appearances for the Turkish giants, he scored ten goals and provided five assists, meaning that even though he wasn't having the best of seasons, he still averaged a goal involvement every 2.8 games, which is impressive regardless of the league.
Appearances
42
28
Goals
10
4
Assists
5
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.35
0.28
In contrast, the former Chelsea ace scored four goals and provided four assists in his 28 appearances for Spurs and RB Leipzig last season, which equates to an average of a goal involvement every 3.5 games.
Moreover, for those who do not believe the former Palace ace's numbers in Turkey are comparable to those in Germany and England, you only need to look back one season further to his final campaign at Selhurst Park, when he scored seven goals and provided three assists in 28 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 2.8 games.
Obviously, Zaha is not on the same level as Bale was, but if he joined Spurs for just this season, he could perform a similar role to the Welshman when he returned and provide little bits of magic here and there like he used to for the Eagles while also acting as a short-term upgrade to Werner – oh, and he has a habit of turning up against Arsenal.
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