"Swap deal with Stephen Hunt" - Reading FC transfer regret over Gareth Bale voiced | OneFootball

We spoke to our resident Reading expert to get his insights on a transfer link he wished his club had pursued.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Reading FC may be a midtable League One club at present, but in the past, they have had some very successful sides.

From 2005-2013, the Royals enjoyed some of their glory days with one of the greatest Championship teams ever securing promotion with an astonishing 106 points in 2005-06.

What followed was an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League, providing some brilliant moments for fans as they were narrowly denied a European spot.

This era saw some of Reading's best-ever players join the club, along with numerous high-profile players linked to a transfer to the Madejski Stadium.

One link in particular stands out though, and we spoke to our resident Royals pundit, Johnny Hunt, to get his take on it.

Gareth Bale's links to Reading

Speaking to Hunt about a link he wished had come to fruition, he said: "One that would have been interesting was the rumour that we were going to get Gareth Bale in a swap deal with Stephen Hunt.

"Obviously, before Bale made his name, but that would have been quite an interesting one to see what would have happened to him at Reading and would he have gone on to have the career that he did.

"For Stephen Hunt, to go to Tottenham as well, yes it would have been very random."

As the former Reading winger confirmed, there was interest in a potential swap deal, but it never came to fruition.

Spurs will have counted themselves lucky on this occasion as not only did Bale go on to generate them £85 million, but he managed 124 goal contributions in 237 games. This record places him among Tottenham's greatest players, but to truly appreciate his brilliance, you had to witness his electrifying dynamism week in, week out.

Bale may not have been the same player at Reading

While it's possible that Bale could have had a stellar career had he transferred to Reading, in football, nothing is ever certain.

Having signed for Spurs from Southampton, his first season at the club was deemed a failure as he struggled to make an impact at left-back. In addition, he set an absurd personal record of going 24 games without a win, before finally, in September 2009, he broke that duck when he was brought on at 4-0 up against Burnley.

Under Harry Redknapp, Bale started to really develop as a winger, but his true potential was hit when André Villas-Boas arrived in 2012. Playing in an even more advanced role, the Welshman hit a resounding 21 goals in the Premier League, which led to Real Madrid snapping him up.

Had Bale made the move to Reading in 2008, things could have turned out very differently. Would at-the-time manager Steve Coppell have been willing to deploy him in a more advanced role, and would he have been able to make the same impact in the Championship?

Undoubtedly, this would have been a good move for Reading, but Bale will be thankful that he remained at Tottenham in the summer of 2008.