Bale just needs somewhere to get match fit. He’s chosen to join a successful team in a place with a warm climate and fantastic lifestyle for his family, can’t say I blame him. Cardiff would have offered him something much more uncertain including the significant risk he’d be joining a struggling team.

And at the end of the year what then? Another 5 months of Championship football which lets face it after the career he’s had he wouldn’t be remotely interested in.

Dalman and the board are probably happy for the distraction this has offered from the real issue which is the club’s inability to invest and compete in the market with leading Championship sides due to the last 3-4 years of their utter incompetence.