Why Gareth Bale wants to help purchase Plymouth Argyle - there are 3 obvious reasons | OneFootball

We looked at three reasons why Gareth Bale is looking to get involved in a takeover of Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth Argyle supporters were left stunned on Monday afternoon after it was reported that former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale is part of a US-based consortium looking to buy the club.

Despite a strong second half of the season under Miron Muslic, Plymouth were relegated from the Championship last term, bringing their two-year spell in the second tier to an end.

After Muslic departed to take over at German side Schalke last month, the Pilgrims named ex-Watford boss Tom Cleverley as their new head coach on Friday, while they have already completed four new signings this summer in Jack MacKenzie, Caleb Watts, Bradley Ibrahim and Jamie Paterson.

Argyle owner Simon Hallett had been in talks with potential new investors, but he revealed last month that the proposed deal has now collapsed, and, according to The Telegraph, Bale is being lined up to head a US-based private equity group's bid to purchase the club.

Discussions between Plymouth and the investment group are currently taking place about a possible full takeover of the club, and should an agreement materialise, the move would see Bale follow in the footsteps of one of his former Real Madrid teammates, Luka Modrić, who recently became a co-owner of Championship side Swansea City.

After a glittering playing career that saw him score 106 goals in 258 games and win 15 major trophies with Madrid, many have questioned why Bale is keen to help buy a League One club, but we looked at three clear reasons why the 35-year-old is looking to get involved with the Pilgrims.

Wrexham and Birmingham City achievements

Not too long ago, speculation that a club could be taken over by someone of Bale's stature would have been greeted with a negative reaction from supporters, but high-profile investment has become more common in the EFL in recent years.

Wrexham were in the National League just two years ago, but they achieved a historic third straight promotion to the Championship last season as their meteoric rise continues under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, while Birmingham City won the League One title with an EFL-record total of 111 points last term, with NFL legend Tom Brady occupying a seat on the club's board.

The Red Dragons and the Blues are expected to be among the biggest spenders outside the Premier League this summer as they aim to make their mark in the second tier, but they are not only grabbing headlines on the pitch.

With Reynolds and McElhenney at the helm, Wrexham have been able to reach a new global audience thanks to their Welcome to Wrexham documentary, which recently returned for a fourth season, and Birmingham announced earlier this year that their own Amazon Prime documentary telling the story of the club's promotion will be released this summer.

With a figure like Bale on the board, Plymouth could potentially follow in the pair's footsteps, and both the football and commercial opportunities presented by such a takeover will surely be appealing to the former Welsh international.

Potential for future Plymouth Argyle success

While Plymouth are not one of the bigger clubs in English football, there is no doubt that they have significant potential.

The Pilgrims went from League Two to the Championship in just four years between 2019 and 2023, showing what is possible at Home Park under the right ownership, and while the club did announce a five-year plan to challenge for promotion to the Premier League, it has become clear that it will be tough to achieve that goal without fresh investment.

Should Bale and the American consortium take over at Argyle, they would be inheriting an incredibly well-run club with excellent infrastructure, a recently renovated stadium and a passionate fan base, and with a fresh cash injection and an ambitious ownership model, they could quickly become a real force.

Plymouth is currently the largest city in England not to have a top flight football team, but being able to change that will be an appealing prospect for Bale.

Opportunity to rebuild after relegation to League One

Of course, takeovers can sometimes be a lengthy process, and even if talks were to progress well between Plymouth and the US-based investment group, there is no guarantee that a deal would be concluded before the start of the new season.

However, if an agreement can be reached over the coming months, it could be the perfect time for new owners to take over at Home Park, with a chance to rebuild the Pilgrims after their relegation to League One.

While Bale and the consortium will no doubt have lofty ambitions for Argyle, starting their reign away from the pressures of the Championship could be beneficial for them, and that has certainly been the case for Birmingham this season, with the Blues' exciting project able to gather pace in League One after some poor football decisions from the new board saw them suffer relegation the previous year.

With a young and talented head coach in Cleverley now in charge of Plymouth and the core of a strong squad already in place, the prospective new owners would have a solid platform to build from as they look to launch a bold long-term project of their own.