Southampton News 24/7Writer: 
Date:Sunday January 28 2007
Time: 12:41PM
UK time is: 05:45:43
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Spurs Winning Bale Race
Mid-Table Premiership club Spurs are leading the race to sign Bale
Man United gaffer Alex Ferguson has admited that spurs are winning the race for the signing of teenage star Gareth Bale.
With only days left untill the end of the January transfer window the Gareth Bale transfer speculation is still dominating the football headlines, and it appears only a matter of time before Bale leaves Saints for the chance of much more money and premiership football.
Many clubs have been linked with Bale including - Man United, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and even Real Madrid. But after comments made by Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson it appears that Premiership club Spurs, currently sitting in mid-table, are leading the race to sign Bale.
Speaking to Sky Sports Ferguson said 'Southampton said no to us because they are looking for more money, which they have every right to do.
'I am not exactly sure what Tottenham have offered but they have offered more and that puts them in pole position.'
With Arsenal pulling out of the running for Bale earlier this week and now Manchester United seemingly giving up to, it looks like its all up to Spurs. The most recent Spurs bid is said to be in the region of £10million.
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Your Comments
Mid table Spurs, is that meant to be a ***** take?
ScottDaYid
Not at all no, its just fact, spurs are 9th which is very much mid table
Saintmike
Why do spurs fans have such a hard time accepting that there a mid table club, i just dont get it.
Saintmike
i agree Saintmike and i also like you because we share the same name.
Mikec
^^
Mikec
In all cups, 5th last season sold out home and away side Spurs is more appropriate. There was me thinking Southampton didn't mind Spurs anymore considering the Hoddle/Richards saga was years ago.
Mike_THFC
I agree with ScottDaYid, it is said twice in the article and is being used as a put down because we want your best player! Not very impressed as we are certainly not a mid table side, although not a top 4 side, we are in the bracket of 5-6th best in the country as was shown last yr and even now with big injuries to key players and players trying to settle in we are only 4 points off 6th, so to describe as mid table is a little disrespectful IMO! With all our key players back and adding people like Bale to the squad we will soon be able to mount another challenge for CL football! We are the right place for him to move to, much bigger club than Southampton - no comparison really, but not so big that he will sit on the bench, he will get regular first team action and get to play in Europe and will learn a lot more with us and our kids than at any other Prem club! There is only so much you can learn playing championship football, so at most if we get him, let him stay until the end of the season and then bring him in - I can live with that, no need to throw him in at the deep end just yet, atleast give him a pre-season to get used to the club, team-mates, etc! Don't want to be disrespectful to Southampton, but then a little bit of respect our way would not go a miss!
JEFE
Ermmmmmmmmm. League Cup Semi Final, FA Cup 5th Round, UEFA Cup Last 16 and we are having a AWFUL season in the League and we're still 9th. Perleaseeeeeeeee.
Gareth Spurs is waiting lad.
ScottDaYid
We have that trouble, because we are a club built on tradtion and that tradition is full of trophies! We may not have won much in the last 20 yrs, but in the 60's, 70's and 80's we were a massive club both here and abroad! Up until 2 years ago I would agree we had dropped into mid table obscurity, but what has happened in the last 24 months deserve a little more respect than is being given! We are back on the up and clearly not many are happy with that! The fact that we are competing with the top 4 for points (how lucky were the scum last yr to pip us) and transfers, (ie with Utd and Arsenal for Bale) shows how far we have come and where we are going, so as I said earlier a little bit of respect would be appreciated!
JEFE
I don't think anyone has ever said Southampton are a 'big' club. We have never categorised ourselves as that. What we're saying is that Spurs are not. And we would all much rather Bale go to Manchester United as they will be much better for Bale than you will be.
Saintj81
man u ain't getting him, spurs are, and we gonna get mgp frombalckburn too. ohhhh is that my alarm going off??? i believe it when it's on the spurs website!!! but itwould be nice!
thfc69
Rubbish, what good are Utd with Evra and Heinze in front of him? They are already two of the best LB's in the Prem and for LW they have Giggs, Ronaldo and Richardson! About as much good as Walnut at the scum! Clearly for some very silly reason you rank yourselves alongside us, becuase the implication is that he is moving sideways as oppsed to upwards, but by coming to us he would be moving upwards and he would get a lot more 1st team games, play in Europe and be playing alongside some of the best youngsters in the country, Lennon, Hudd, Dawson, etc which will only improve him as a player!
JEFE
In terms of 1st team games, I mean as opposed of going to Utd or Arsenal! You should also view as a breath of fresh air the fact that we are trying to stop the top clubs stifling all the good youth in this country by buying them and sitting them on the bench or playing them in the reserves just to stop other clubs getting them and progressing! Would the likes of Hudd, Lennon, Bent etc be given their chance at a really big club I doubt it, best they could hope for is a few appearances in the Carling Cup and the odd sub appearance as is happening to Walnut now! Atleast with us, Bale will get 1st team experience not only because we give youth a chance but because we are absolutely crap in that area at the moment - that is also why big MJ can promise first team football because there is little competition unlike at Utd and why Ferguson came out with the comments he did!
JEFE
I wrote the above artical and the reaction to it speaks volumes about the what spurs fans think of there club.
Spurs are currently 9th in the premiership, its not a put down to say they are mid-table its just absoulte cold hard fact.
Saintmike
Very narrow minded point of view not looking at the overall picture, that would be just like saying that Southampton are only a championship club, when although clearly not being a good premiership club, they are still at lower Prem level rather than championship level, but if the boy wants to progress he knows damn well that staying on the south coast will only take him so far and lets be honest its not very far! If he wants to fully develop his potential WHL is the only place for him and if he's got brains and good advisors with his best interests at heart, that is exactly where he will end up!
JEFE
It was mearly a statement based on Spurs current premiership standind not based on an overall season.
It an absoulute fact that Spurs are sitting in midtable at the moment, its not made up. Spurs are 9th which equals mid table.
Not at any points did i say anything agaisnt spurs, about there cup history, about there europian standing or were they are going to end up finishing this season. I very simply stated that Spurs are currently sitting in midtable which is absoultly correct.
Saintmike
The tone was not correct in my opinion and implied something else, especially as it was repeated twice! I am not the only one to think this way, more yiddos above thought the same thing! I stand by all my comments including Southampton being of low Prem level rather than championship level and also that coming to Spurs is the best move for Bale. He will grow up with fellow young stars and have a chance in the first team straight away and be able to help build something big at Spurs, or he can go to Utd and go backwards, its what nearly always happens when very young kids go to massive clubs!
JEFE
AND I accept we are not a massive club, but we are a big club and we are doing our best to break the stranglehold of the top four and should be encouraged and respected for doing so as it is only good for the game as a whole!
JEFE
Not at any point have a questioned Spurs ability to bring throgh youngsters so the point to JEFE's last two messages completley escapes me. To be honest the petty, childish style of responses to this artical have been some what of a shock to me. I am all for a good healthy debate but to take exception to fact as many have to this artical is just ridiculas. Nothing in this reports is anti-spurs and nothing in this report is made up.
Saintmike
As I said the tone seemed to be demeaning, but ok if you meant nothing by it fair enough! Onto more important matters, is this boy as good as is being said and can he make it as a LW or does it have to be LB? Kick-ups mean nothing, so is he good enough to play at LW?
JEFE
Atlast some real debate! Hes top class, very good on the wing. Top passer and crosser of the ball and is very good in defence. If spurs do sign him then in my oppinion you have got a good buy.
Saintmike
I would like to see if he could become a LW and then get in Baines from Wigan to play LB! He appears to have a great left foot and if his passing and crossing is as good as you say, he might be wasted at LB IMO! Then again if he's a good defender aswell....... well I'd just be happy to sign him and I have no doubt he'd be a good buy and £10m, based on £6m up front with £4m in add ons is a fair and realistic price IMO!
JEFE
YES lets get him because he may just develop into LW and if not LB will do because Pyo and Eketto!!! are not good enough now for the improving Spurs side. Eketto will develop and will improve if he has to fight for his place as he is still young with Pyo he is a likeable honest lad but like Eketto he needs to improve to make the grade. I want to see up front sorted as I'm not convinced we have a settled attacking force. Berby great but weak away from home and Defoe and Keane saga is miserable. Mido may as well go as he will not get enough chances.
lozpaps
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