"People 'inventing' Gareth Bale stories without knowing what's going on" - Andre Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas

According to ESPN, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has played down rumours linking Welsh winger Gareth Bale with a move away from Spurs.

Tottenham featured in a 1-1 draw encounter with Spanish outfit Espanyol recently, and Bale missed the match owing to a foot injury.

In an interview following the match, AVB fended off questions regarding Bale.

“The only thing I can say about the stories is I am not going to comment because everybody has speculated a lot,” he said. “There are some different stories, some which are not true, with people inventing without knowledge of what is going on.

“The only thing I can tell you is the player is under the treatment of the medical department for this pain in the foot which is disturbing him… Regarding the speculation, I don’t want to extend myself further than I have told you.”

When asked if the Bale saga has affected the locker room and the club, Villas Boas denied the claims.

“It has not affected us in any shape or form. We have continued our preparation,” said Villas-Boas. “What we have to recognise is five weeks gone by since (we started) buying and selling, but we haven’t been able to train with all the team together because Paulinho and Soldado only arrived last week.

“There will be more players to arrive and more players to leave. At the moment we are a team in prospect. We still have lots of things to do. The last week in the transfer window can be surprising.

“I can’t tell you we have stopped in the transfer market because we haven’t, this means players coming in and players going out. We will continue to re-strengthen ourselves, but what we have at the moment is a very strong squad either way, one that puts us in a good position to get the three points at Palace.”