Jones tips Bale to stay at Spurs

Former Tottenham and Wales favourite Cliff Jones believes Gareth Bale is ‘very happy’ at White Hart Lane.

Jones was widely regarded as one of the finest left wingers in the game during his own time at Spurs, and played an integral role in their famous double-winning side of 1960/61, as well as the Welsh team that reached the quarter-finals at the 1958 World Cup.

The 78-year-old is confident Spurs fans will see a lot more of Bale in the future, despite the star being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.

“Gareth is very happy with Tottenham,” Jones told the Hampstead and Highgate Express.

“You can put him up there alongside the likes of (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo at the moment.

“He is very happy, not only in the football sense but with life as well.

“He is very content, he’s had a baby daughter and he is very happy with his family life. His girlfriend is a Welsh girl and they like to get down to Wales.

“Of course Gareth and everyone linked with the club wants to be in the Champions League and he wants to be playing football at the highest level, but I think he will be at Tottenham for a while yet.”

While impressed by Bale’s eye-catching performances this season, Jones was also keen to highlight the contribution made by the rest of Andre Villas-Boas’ team.

“For me Gareth has been the best player to watch this season in the Premier League – but there have been a number of key players for Tottenham,” he said.

“(Mousa) Dembele has been quite impressive and (Michael) Dawson has always been a terrific player. Sandro is another great competitor and it was a shame he got injured.

“He reminds me a little bit of Dave Mackay – total commitment with a will to win. That is important to have in the side and he’s got it in abundance.”