Since Harry Redknapp acquired Rafael Van der Vaart from Real Madrid on the last day of the August transfer window, there has been a nagging doubt in the back of many a Fantasy Manager’s mind regarding a certain Tottenham-owned Welsh wing wonder. Opinion is pretty much split as to whether Spurs’ multitude of creative midfield options means Gareth Bale will predominantly take his place in the starting XI as a full-back or a flying winger.
Owned by an incredible 50% of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bosses, Bale is the most popular player in the game, thanks, in part, to his performances in the latter stages of last season and a relatively cheap starting price this time round.
Redknapp has always stated he sees Bale’s long term future as a full-back and the young Welshman definitely offers Spurs more dynamism and creativity from deep than Benoit Assou-Ekotto. So far this league season, Bale has played three full games in midfield, two in defence, and one -against Wigan- where he started in midfield before moving back in the second-half.
So the key question is, how does the shift in position affect Bale’s performance and Fantasy potential? Let’s delve into the the Members’ Opta stats for further analysis.
