Tottenham have secured one of the "signings of the decade" in Gareth Bale, believes Paul Robinson, who insists his former club have made a real statement with the acquisition.
Seven years after completing a British-record £85million transfer to Real Madrid, Bale has returned on a season-long loan in a deal that will cost Tottenham under £15m in total.
Tottenham fans will have to wait until mid-October to see the Welshman in action after Bale arrived with a knee injury, though Jose Mourinho has insisted the winger has the right motivation to seal an early return.
Robinson believes his former team-mate still has the desire to succeed in north London, insisting this is no "emotional signing".
“Bale has a lot to prove,” Robinson told Football Insider. “It is very quick to claim that it is an emotional signing and suggest that he is too old.
"I think Gareth Bale still has the hunger to play football - 31 is no age the way players look after themselves now.
“It is a fantastic signing and a huge show of support from [chairman] Daniel Levy to his manager, bringing in a world-class player of that level.
“It is a real statement from Tottenham and I think this is one of the signings of the decade for Spurs.
“The money that the chairman has outplayed, in what it is a tough financial climate, is a real statement of intent.”
Bale's season-long loan covers just one of two years remaining on his Madrid contract, but Standard Sport understands the deal includes the option of a second year.
"I'm sure that if things really worked out well, we'd have no problem [with Gareth staying a second season]," Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"This is the club he wants to play at. I don't see any problems if he wants another year."
