Bale’s going nowhere, says Spurs chief
Published: 16 December, 2010
by DAN CARRIER
Shadow of axe hovers at Lane
FRINGE players at Spurs are playing for their White Hart Lane careers in the coming month, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy confirmed this week.
He told the club’s annual meeting that the squad could be trimmed and there would be sales in January.
First team squad members like Robbie Keane, David Bentley, Giovanni Dos Santos and Jamie O’Hara now know they have little time to prove their worth in training – or face being shipped out.
Levy told shareholders: “The January transfer window is upon us and we currently have the largest squad in the Premier League. We shall look to rationalise.”
But Levy added that one player going nowhere is midfielder Gareth Bale. He said: “I’ve never deemed us to be a selling club. If you look at the big transfers which have taken place since I’ve been chairman, both Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick had two years left on their contract and wanted to go. But Gareth has a long contract. He will not be sold.”
The thorny issue of the new stadium plans were also raised, with fears expressed that Spurs would move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
The annual report said costs of around £330million to build a new stadium at the Lane had risen by another £50million because of transport and heritage issues.
Levy said he wanted to keep the club’s options open, but added he understood the attitudes of supporters who are against any move.
He said: “I’m a fan, I have lots of friends who are fans, and lots of interaction with fans every day. I talk to people and have feedback so without any surveys I can tell you, I have a pretty good feel as to what the mood is.”