By David Lee Wheatley
With a mystery rival bidding for the signature of Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale alongside long-time suitors Real Madrid, it seems certain the Welsh wizard will be on his way out of White Hart Lane before the transfer closes in seven days.
Matters seemed to be reaching a conclusion when Real began retailing 'Bale 11' emblazoned shirts at their online store prematurely last week following weeks of speculation, but the revelation earlier today surrounding a potential alternative has complicated the deal.
Wherever the former Southampton star ends up, his sale guarantees Spurs a massive pay-day to the tune of around £90million when he does eventually move on. The north London club have already spent a large chunk of the expected windfall through the introduction of new boys Roberto Soldado, Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and Nacer Chadli and are still looking for more recruits in an effort to off-set the likely loss of last season's PFA Player of the Year.
There's no doubting Bale's ability and influence on the team during the last couple of campaigns, but the over-inflated value currently placed on his head will allow Spurs to continue bringing in fresh blood to strengthen every department of the side. Bale is an extremely talented footballer, but Spurs will reap the benefits if they simply let him go.
Spain is calling and Bale's already there in his head, so the best decision at this stage is to agree to a switch and move quickly in search of a suitable replacement before deadline day. One possibility, Willian, appears to have chosen Jose Mourinho's Chelsea over Spurs and therefore Roma's Erik Lamela is now the front-runner to join up and offer the same attacking spark delivered by the outgoing Wales international in recent years.
If the cash already laid out by Tottenham represents the amount they planned to shell-out in any event, then their coffers will be recharged to a level which would open the way for them to secure at least three absolutely top-notch, world-class footballers for the price of one.
With that budget Tottenham were already set to spend in mind, plus the world-record fee on the verge of being banked for a prize asset, Spurs are about to experience their strongest financial position for an age and must acknowledge the fact they'll be markedly better off without Bale.
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