Gareth Bale has handed Tottenham a boost by insisting he has no intention of quitting the club.
Winger pledges future to White Hart Lane after stunning display
Gareth Bale has handed Tottenham a boost by insisting he has no intention of quitting the club.
The winger starred for Spurs in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, netting a hat-trick in their 4-3 defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro.
That one-man assault only served to strengthen speculation of a January transfer for the 21-year-old, who has notched six goals in all competitions this season.
However, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has made it clear Bale is not on the market and the Wales international has reiterated that stance by refusing to contemplate plying his trade anywhere but White Hart Lane.
Happy
"I don't read into anything said about me. I am just happy playing week in, week out for Tottenham and learning my football here," Bale told the
Evening Standard.
"I am happy and I want to keep playing.
"I don't take any interest in what is written about me because I think it's best to keep your feet on the ground, go to training and learn and also learn in the games every week.
"Hopefully, there is still a lot more to come from me. I am still young and still learning and I want to keep getting better and better. That's all I want to do.
"The manager has given me the chance to play and I am grateful for that. In training, we have worked on things and more things are coming into my game.
"I just want to keep playing every week because that is the most important thing - that's when you learn the most.
"He has given me the confidence and belief to go out there and express myself and that is the best thing a manager can do."
Spurs rebuffed an approach for Bale during the last transfer window, though refused to confirm the identity of the club who made the offer.
But Inter president Massimo Moratti made no secret of his club's interest after witnessing the winger's superb treble on Wednesday.
"We have followed him in the past; you can see why," said Moratti. "Now? After those three goals, he will cost a lot more."
Turn around
Bale has not always been so productive at Spurs, with his early career seeing him play a record 24 Premier League matches without being on the winning side.
Fellow Tottenham man Jermaine Jenas is delighted to see his team-mate turn things around.
"Around the time, talk about that statistic affected him a bit," said Jenas.
"After a couple of years of criticism from the press about not winning games with the team, you can't find words big enough to explain how he has come out of it like he has."
