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Tottenham midfield ace Gareth bale has expressed his interest in staying back at the Spurs next season but admitted that missing out on Champions League qualification will be a big blow.
The Mercurial midfielder, who received the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year award to add to the PFA player and young player of the year awards he has already won this season, said that the club was “doing everything right” and that he and they had “grown together” over the years.
The Spurs hierarchy is confident about the latter’s stay at Spurs and are planning to reward him with a 4 year contract this summer in recognition of his stellar performance this season.
“We set our agenda at the start of the season to qualify for the Champions League. We want to finish in the top four and it will feel like a disappointment if we don’t get there,” said the 23-year-old Welshman told the Guardian
“The club has grown every year and I’ve become a better player every year. We’ve had a taste of Champions League football and that’s where we want to be again. That’s where the club needs to be to get to the next level. That’s what we’re trying to do this season to lift the club to better things.”
Manager Andre Villas-Boas has urged the fans to “keep the faith” for their final matches of the season against struggling sides Stoke and Sunderland as the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge dealt a severe blow to their Champions league qualification chances.
Bale, who joined Spurs six years ago from Southampton lauded the progress they have made under chairman Daniel Levy and said that both he and club shared common objectives. The Welsh play maker who has adapted to the central role to great effect this season has wreaked havoc for opponents.
“I want to play at the highest level possible and be playing against the best teams in the world. I think the club is going in the right direction. All our objectives are the same, we just have to try to achieve them now,” he said.
BT unveiled Bale as one of their ambassadors for their new sports channel and the Spurs winger said that this was the best squad he had played in and that he enjoyed the additional responsibility that was given by his manager.
“We’re all working well as a team. We’re all working together. The club is going in the right direction, bringing in better players every season,” Bale said.
“The likes of Mousa [Dembélé] and Jan [Vertonghen] have been fantastic additions to the squad and I’m sure we’ll bring in a few more players into the squad again this summer. It’s just a matter of progressing for everyone and reaching our targets.”
Bale who has scored a series of crucial and spectacular goals this season for Tottenham said that he is more than comfortable with the elevated trust that manager Villas-Boas has placed on him.
“When you’re younger, you’re quite daunted by the manager. As I’ve got older, I’ve also got a lot closer and become a more important player so you speak to the manager more,” he said.
“This year I’ve been handed a lot more responsibility, which has been great. I believe I’ve been able to motivate myself and make myself a better player by it.”
Bale also credited the contribution of chairman Richard Levy and how the club has grown under him. He also lauded the husbandry of Tottenham’s resource and how important it is particularly given the introduction of the Premier League’s financial rules.
“Everything has changed. When I first arrived there was talk of a new training ground and a new stadium. As the years have gone in, it’s got better and better. The training ground has happened and next it’ll be the stadium. The club is growing and I think it’s growing within its own means,” he said.
Differentiating between Spurs and other big spending clubs that have spent beyond means, Bale said: “That’s why the rules are in place now. We’ve seen a lot of clubs before that have made that mistake. But Tottenham have shown they can make a profit every season and they’re doing it the right way. Everyone is in the same boat and they’re doing everything right.”
Senior Spurs insiders are confident of the Welshman’s stay at the Spurs even if Champions League qualification does not come their way, and Bale believes that the squad as a unit have matured together and come good and are hitting their peak.
“We’re all of a similar age. We’re all around our mid-20s. We’ve been playing together for three, four, five years,” he said. “We’ve got a good firm English base there as well, which is always important for a club like Tottenham. We’re heading in the right direction and hopefully there is still a lot more to come from the team.”
Bale also insists that there is “a lot more to come” from himself, and that he is on an “upward slope” and still learning the traits of what is required of him in a more central position.
Asked on how he could improve on his stellar performances this season, he said: “Score more goals. More with my right, more with my left. I think you just have to keep going, keep plugging away. Even your best players – if you look at Lionel Messi, [each year] he scores more goals than he has any other year. Cristiano Ronaldo is the same. There is still plenty more to improve. I just have to keep my focus at this level and take it further.”
Source: Guardian UK
