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Storm brews between Spurs and Arsenal over Bale
Last updated at 11:22am on 24.01.07
Chased: Gareth Bale is attracting the attentions of a host of Premiership clubs
Tottenham and Arsenal were among the bidders as clubs jostled for position in the race to sign Southampton's teenage sensation Gareth Bale.
Saints sparked the activity by revealing they had received a £10million bid for 17-year-old Bale from a club "other than Manchester United".
The offer was thought to be have come from the Gunners, who signed teenager Theo Walcott from Southampton 12 months ago, but Spurs tried to match the bid after discussions in a routine board meeting yesterday afternoon.
United had an £8million bid rejected last week but remain favourites to sign Bale because the Wales international is keen on a move to Old Trafford and the chance to link up with his hero Ryan Giggs.
Bale is out of contract next year and has snubbed Southampton's offer of an improved two-year deal worth £4,000 a week.
Spurs have also finally persuaded Benfica to sell them defender Ricardo Rocha for £3.3m. The player was in London yesterday to undergo a medical.
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Martin Jol wants a bye into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup to give his players a breather — and compensation for lost revenue.
UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson will consider the case today after Feyenoord were expelled from the competition last week because of the behaviour of their supporters in a group game against Nancy.
Tottenham could face either Parma or Braga without kicking a ball if UEFA decide not to promote Wisla Krakow, who finished behind the Dutch club in the group stage.
But Spurs will lose the gate receipts and money from ITV, who have a deal to screen games from their UEFA Cup run.
Jol said: "If I am honest, I would take a bye. Hopefully, we will get some compensation but maybe other people will think differently."
Reader views (7)
Leighton from Wales - 'Jenas and Defoe established international'. How did you work that out? Jenas is in the squad every game but hardly gets a sniff, and Defoe didn't even go to the world cup!
And I have to agree with Andy from London's point about so called spurs progress!
- Richard, North London
Actually I think Roy is closer to the truth than the other posters are making out. Yes, it's fair to say we have built a better squad since Frank 'throw enough mud and see what sticks' Arnesen, but I do feel there is a fair amount of trial and error taking place. Lee Young-Pyo had a poor season last year, so Assou-Ekotto comes in - only to be replaced by Lee after a couple of very dodgy performances. Where's the sense in that?
Look at the revolving door policy there's been in our midfield recently - sell Pedro Mendes and Sean Davis only to bring in DANNY MURPHY??
I am confident Jol is the man to take us to a better place - Comolli has yet to convince me that he's got what it takes.
- Steve, London, UK
David from London, with all this marvelous progress how come you are only 9th compared to 5th last season.
- Andy, London, UK
Roy from Montreal has the wrong end of the stick. Spurs have had a high player turnover for the past 3 years for several sound reasons.
(1) The current management inherited a very mediocre and ageing squad and had to renew it wholesale, but was not initially in a position to attract expensive players, so they decided to sign large numbers of promising youngsters; unsurprisingly, over half of these young players weren't quite good enough, so they've been sold; also a number of players left over from the previous management were sold.
(2) As the team has developed under the current management, players who looked exciting 3 years ago are now merely OK - our standards have risen - so they are also on their way.
(3) Now that we are competing in Europe, we can attract more established players, such as Didier Zokora and Dimitar Berbatov, so we are continuing to upgrade.
(4) It isn't strictly a "reason", but it's a point worth making: Spurs have made a profit on every single player who has come in and gone out again, except one, Andy Reid, and we virtually broke even on him, because we never paid out the conditional "appearances" money in his deal. The profit on Michael Carrick alone (up to £14m) will basically pay for all of our other deals for the past 3 years and then some.
- David M, London England
Spurs already have hard-nosed, streetwise, established internationals (Ledley King, Paul Robinson, Jermain Jenas, Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Didier Zakora, Berbatov), the policy of signing young talent is the future you only need to look at the progression of Lennon, Huddlstone, Dawson an young Thomas Perkhat who's on fire for the reserves at only 17 years old. Rome wasn't built in a day and I think Martin Jol, Damien Comolli an Levy have it right.
- Leighton Jones, Barry, South Wales
Here we go again, Spurs. Does any other team in the Premier League have such a high turnover of players? Seriously, they are like bad day traders. They sign a guy, realise he's no better than what they've already got and he's out of the door within a couple of years just as the supposedly "new and improved version" arrives (I guess it's time for Assou-Akotto, Staltieri and Lee Young-pyo to make sure their passports are in order).
I'm sure their fans must wonder at times whether anyone over there genuinely has a vision of the type of squad and team they want to assemble or whether they are spending all this money in the hope it will all come together somehow.
- Roy, Montreal, Canada
So Jol wants a bye into the next round of the UEFA Cup? What's that all about? And the guff about his players needing a `breather' - he'll be telling us all they're tired next up.
And as for yet another teenage whizzkid, Spurs need a few hard-nosed, streetwise, established internationals if they really are in the hunt for silverware.
- Ted, Shetland Isles
