Here is your Tottenham Hotspur morning digest on Wednesday, February 16.
Bale exit sparks talk of Tottenham return
Gareth Bale will finally leave Real Madrid in the summer, Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed.
“Bale has had injuries, then his contract ends - he may not have had a good motivation, but he wants to finish here as he deserves,” said Ancelotti, as cited by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.
Ancelotti's words will naturally spark rumours of a potential return to Spurs for the 32-year-old forward, especially if Wales can qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, but there is suggestion that the Red Dragons’ captain will hang his boots up for good if his country does not make it to the Middle East.
Read the full story here.
Spurs face tricky fixtures in the race for the top four
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea clear at the top of the Premier League table, there looks to be only one Champions League qualification spot left and there are no fewer than five teams who could realistically take it.
Spurs are one of them, but three consecutive league defeats to Chelsea, Southampton and, most recently, Wolverhampton Wanderers, have left them trailing their closest rivals.
football.london has taken a look at the Lilywhites’ next six Premier League fixtures compared to those of Arsenal, Manchester United, West Ham United and Wolves.
Read the full story here.
Conte set to give Rodon his big break
Joe Rodon has struggled to get game time at Spurs, but more opportunities could be imminent after Antonio Conte's admission and recent results.
The Welsh centre-back has made just eight appearances for the club in all competitions this season, but based on what Conte has said, Rodon may well be in the starting XI for this Saturday’s clash at Manchester City.
“We are talking about a person whose commitment is very high every day. But in this moment maybe I make mistakes to pick different players maybe,” Conte said in his post-match press conference last Sunday.
“My evaluation is to try to put on the pitch the best players at the moment. If I didn't do this then maybe I did different considerations.”
