AVB irked as Bale on verge of Real move

AN agitated Andre Villas-Boas effectively confirmed Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid is imminent, while also expressing disappointment with the player’s conduct in his attempts to force an exit.

The 24-year-old winger refused to turn up for training on Tuesday and yesterday, with the Tottenham Hotspur manager stating it was not “correct behaviour”. Villas-Boas said it was now up to Spurs as to whether to fine Bale, but confirmed the only remaining issues in his departure were the final details.

The Portuguese coach stated that the fee would likely be a “world record”, but sources in Madrid have indicated that political concerns might yet make it less than the €96m paid to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. The Real hierarchy are understood to be pushing for the deal to be closed today, having initially planned for all of August to have it confirmed last week, but Villas-Boas stated it could happen any time between “the next two days” and right up to the end of the window.

The protracted sale has not affected Spurs’ own plans, with the club set to spend almost €50m — in addition to the €68m already paid out this window — on Roma’s Erik Lamela, Steaua Bucharest centre-back Vlad Chiriches and Christian Eriksen of Ajax. Roma last night confirmed that tricky forward Lamela had departed for White Hart Lane for €30m, while Ajax stated that Tottenham were holding talks with attacking midfielder Eriksen over a €10m deal.

Villas-Boas expressed confidence that the team had moved on in a positive manner, aside from his obvious frustration.

“At the moment the two clubs are speaking — Tottenham and Real Madrid — to outline the final decisions or statements of contracts and I am not sure how much time it will take,” Villas-Boas said. “I suppose it could go to the last days or it could happen in the next two days.”

With Bale badly agitating for the move, Villas-Boas wouldn’t go so far as saying he is “on strike”, but Spurs are considering whether to take disciplinary action.

“I gave the player the weekend off. Monday was a day off for the squad. He is involved in a big transfer move to Real Madrid. In the end, if it happens, we wish him all the best. What he left here is great memories and, the fact that he hasn’t turned up, I don’t think it’s the correct behaviour but in the end it’s a position of pressure and a statement from the player or whatever that means. It’s a position they chose to take. It’s up to the club now to decide if it’s a fineable offence.

“I don’t think he’s on strike. Will he be in tomorrow? I don’t know. I’m not really in control of the situation. I’ve left it up to the club to decide what they want to do.

“Until the transfer happens the player is a Tottenham player. If there are orders for him to be here and he is not, I can only leave it to club officials to deal with it. It’s up to the club to decide whether or not it’s a breach of club rules. I’ve given my opinion on it, it’s up to them to decide whether they act on it or not.”

When asked whether Bale could be departing in a more amicable manner, Villas-Boas again adopted a hard veneer but revealed that the player had already bid farewell to his teammates and manager.

“I am a Spurs professional, not a Spurs fan, so you may have to have ask a Spurs fan what are their opinions about the situation.

“It’s up to Gareth. He has a good relationship with everybody and he has saluted the players the other day, myself included.

“What’s happening is a dream move for him so I think in the end this could have happened in a different way, but... there will be a three-way agreement for the player to go and Tottenham will accept most likely the biggest transfer in world football.”

Villas-Boas was much more upbeat about Tottenham’s prospects with so many signings coming in.

“I have told you that we will continue re-strengthening the squad so we are looking at different positions to make us stronger. Not only those players [Lamela and Eriksen], others as well. In the next couple of days we will have further news and I think we will see further additions at Tottenham.

“We have a very, very strong team the same. If this transfer [Bale] happens, it will give the opportunity to step up their game, step up the responsibility and I think we have seen that in the last couple of games.

“Our idea is to be stronger than the year before. If we conclude certain targets that we are looking for, we can be that team. If we conclude other targets, maybe we are not that team.”

Only time will tell.