Bale and James slammed for form at ‘lower-ranked clubs’

Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez’s poor form for Spurs and Everton has proven Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane right for moving them on, according to a report in the Spanish press.

Zidane was keen to move both players on given their limited playing time and big salaries.

And Marca claim the performances of both players in the Premier League means Madrid were right to cut their losses.

READ MORE: New CBs, creativity, Alli out: what each club needs in January

Some credit was handed to James for his strong start to the season under Carlo Ancelotti during which he scored three goals in the opening five games and provided three assists as Everton shot to the top of the league.

But his recent drop off, predominantly due to injury, was more keenly highlighted with the publication seemingly hell-bent on stacking evidence to prove Zidane correct.

The report says ‘little by little he has been diluted and his benefits diminished’ and that he was ‘inspiring a crowd that now doubts his contribution’ at Goodison Park.

They predictably didn’t hold back when it came to Bale, the pantomime villain of the Spanish media.

The report gleefully stated that Bale is now ‘relegated’ to the Europa League and suggested he will struggle to break into Jose Mourinho’s side.

A thinly veiled swipe was also taken at both Everton and Spurs, with the Premier League sides being labelled ‘clearly lower rank than Madrid,’ adding that the transfer of the players to either club has left Zidane with ‘no remorse.’