I believe @
AberdeenYid
had the right of it ages ago. We've been spending the Bale money all summer.
Levy probably accepted that Bale was for sale from early in the window, if not before that. I say that based NOT on what's come out in the press but from the actions. It is not beyond reason to say Levy saw a unique opportunity in Bale - to sell Spurs to the world. However, that quickly crumbled when he saw how badly Bale wanted to go. What do you do when you've got the world's most hyped player for two months? You put him everywhere you can. And you arrange for his replacements.
I'd say that how much of this plan Levy communicated to AVB and to Bale himself would be limited. I'd go so far as to say that Baldini probably wasn't sure that Bale was going either. This strikes me as great Levy brinksmanship - limit the outflow of information and negotiate personally in the knowledge that Bale wants out and is wanted over there badly enough for them to pay top dollar.
What is also being overlooked - Bale MUST have known about the negotiations, hence the silence. I suspect that Levy told Bale that successful negotiations meant a world-record-breaking transfer fee. Anything less and he'd walk. So it was in Bale's interest, if he couldn't say he was staying, to say nothing.
Before anyone says anything - I realise that this is all speculation. But I'm looking at this from Levy's point of view and the course of action I've described makes the most sense to me.
Was Bale disrespectful to the club in refusing to play/train? Yes. Would I do the same in his shoes? Absolutely - not out of disrespect to the club but in the knowledge that even a minor strain could ruin my chances of a once-in-a-lifetime move.