Bale WON'T be at Swansea game on Sunday with world-record move to Madrid imminent

Andre Villas-Boas does not expect Gareth Bale to be at White Hart Lane on Sunday for what could turn out to be the last Tottenham match before the forward departs for Real Madrid.

Spurs have put Bale's world-record transfer to Madrid on hold after they failed to sign Willian, who had been earmarked as a replacement for the Welshman.

Tottenham were very close to signing the Brazil international, whose best position is the number 10 role Bale operated in last season, but Chelsea apparently sneaked in at the 11th hour to snap up the former Anzhi Makhachkala player for around £32million.

As Spurs look for alternatives to Willian - talks are ongoing with Roma over a deal for Erik Lamela - Bale remains on the books at the north London club.


It seems inevitable that Bale will be announced as a Real Madrid player in the coming days, but should the £93million deal not happen by Sunday, he will not be compelled to be at White Hart Lane to bid farewell to the Tottenham fans before the club's game against Swansea as he is officially still suffering from a foot injury.

Many Tottenham players sit on the back bench of the home dugout at White Hart Lane when they are injured, but it looks like Bale will not do so this weekend.

We have no rules for or obligation for players not selected to be on the bench or in the stadium so I don't expect Gareth to be seen at the club,' Villas-Boas said.

It is entirely understandable why Bale would not turn up for the game. As Villas-Boas says, injured players are not compelled to turn up for matches and a public appearance by Bale would only serve as a distraction while the team set about the task of trying to secure their second win in two Premier League matches.

Missing out on Willian was a blow for Villas-Boas, but the Spurs boss can still look back on his dealings in the market with satisfaction.

Roberto Soldado has scored three goals in two matches, Nacer Chadli has offered pace and delivery on the wings and Andros Townsend put in a performance against Dinamo Tbilisi that Bale himself would have been proud of.

Villas-Boas has been happy with how his team have played without Bale and he wants them to maintain that level of performance in the coming weeks.

'Whenever a team is missing an important player it is a chance other players to step up their game,' said the Tottenham manager, who has recorded two wins from two games so far.

'In the end there will always be an opportunity for other people to shine through. Other players are taking that responsibility on board. A player like Andros Townsend is an example but others can follow the same footsteps. 

'Our game is much more collective and we are able to score inside the six-yard box which is not very common for us - last season we were the team that scored most from outside the box.

'One thing will allow the other to shine so I am extremely happy.'