Tottenham star Gareth Bale set for new deal - but boss Harry Redknapp fearing main man could face surgeryBy Colin Young
Last updated at 1:25 AM on 24th January 2011
Tottenham will offer Gareth Bale a new contract but fear he may require surgery to cure the back problem which has been troubling him for almost a month.
The 21-year-old, who has played in every Barclays Premier League game this season, lasted just nine minutes at left back during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is hoping rest, and a visit to a back specialist, will sort out Bale’s problem.
Glowing assessment: Spurs boss has praised Gareth Bale
Redknapp said: ‘We hope he doesn’t need surgery. I just hope it’s not too bad again. It’s been dragging on for weeks now and we need to sort him out.
‘You don’t know how long it will be with back injures. He maybe needs a chiropractor or osteopath, someone like that.
‘It’s a shame because we need him playing, for sure. There isn’t a better left-sided player anywhere than Gareth Bale at the moment. There’s only Ashley Cole who would compare with him.’
Bale’s performances in both Champions League games against Inter Milan have impressed the European Cup holders and Real Madrid.
Walking wounded: Gareth Bale limped off at St James' Park on Saturday
But chairman Daniel Levy is adamant Bale will remain at Spurs, even though that might require breaking the club’s wage structure to make the Wales star their best paid player on £100,000 a week on a contract which will run until 2015.
Discussing Bale’s future — he only signed a new, £45,000- a-week contract in the summer, which runs until 2014 — Levy said: ‘I have every reason to believe he will be staying with us for a very long time.’
Steven Pienaar made his Spurs debut on Saturday and saw his new team go behind to a Fabricio Coloccini strike after an hour, but Aaron Lennon levelled in added time.
Newcastle head to a four-day training camp in Portugal today and are close to agreeing a new deal with Joey Barton and will open talks after January with Andy Carroll with a view to improving his contract.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1349874/Tottenham-star-Gareth-Bale-set-new-deal--boss-face-surgery.html?ITO=1490手術.....唔係gwa