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      Mourinho refuses to confirm Bale will play for Spurs vs West Ham as Welshman shows off his basketball skills in training

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      JOSE MOURINHO would not confirm if superstar ‘Gary Bale’ will face London rivals West Ham on Sunday.
      The Spurs manager called ­Gareth Bale ‘Gary’ – just like he did with England boss Gareth Southgate this month.

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      Gareth Bale is training with Spurs ahead of his return from injuryCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Welshman Bale showed off his basketball skilssCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Bale, 31, joined full training last week after recovering from a knee injury as he targets a first appearance of his season-long loan from Real Madrid.
      The Welshman had hoped to star against West Ham at the Tottenham Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
      But Mourinho said: “The team is the most important thing and Gary is here – sorry, Gareth – to help the team.
      “But at the same time we care about him. The decision will be for the good of the team and for him.”

      And Bale showed he could have become a multi-sport superstar in training on Thursday.
      Proving he could have signed for NBA giants San Antonio Spurs, the Welshman got down to work with some basketball shooting.
      Spurs fans were cock-a-hoop to see their new loan signing attempting some three-pointers and lay-ups on a court at the club’s training base.
      Maybe he can link up with pal Dele for some Alli-Oops this season!

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      Meanwhile, Tottenham have been warned they will not get £22million-rated Swansea ace Joe Rodon on the cheap.
      The Londoners want the Wales centre-back, 22, for £8m.
      But Swans boss Steve Cooper said: “Joe is a really good player and it’s important if we have to sell, then we get ­something to show for it.”

      Gareth Bale tears up Tottenham training and scores wonder goal leaving fans drooling about first game back More

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      Gareth Bale’s last Tottenham team compared to the current one… with just Hugo Lloris the surviving member

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      GARETH BALE is set to return to Tottenham after seven years away – with the club in a very different place to where he left it.
      Only one member of the team to play in his final game before leaving for Real Madrid remains at the club.

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      On May 19, 2013, the Welshman capped a stunning season at White Hart Lane in trademark fashion.
      Booked for diving early on in the clash against Sunderland, he drove home a stoppage-time winner from 25 yards out – his 26th goal of the campaign.
      With a gleaming new stadium and whole host of fresh faces, including many bought with the £85million taken for Bale, plenty has changed since that fateful day.

      Not least in Spurs finishing fifth that year and only ending up sixth under Jose Mourinho in 2019/20.
      Indeed, the club’s outlook appeared somewhat bleak when Everton took a 1-0 win in North London to open the new season.
      That result helped prompt a stunning loan deal for Bale, 31, seeing the winger return on loan with Spurs reportedly forking out half of his £650,000-a-week wages.
      When Bale returns, goalkeeper Lloris will be the only player left from the squad that faced Sunderland over seven years ago.

      Michael Dawson stayed on for another season but Benoit Assou-Ekotto was part of a major clearout that took place that summer.

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      Where will Jose Mourinho play Gareth Bale?Credit: Reuters
      The midfield trio of Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Clint Dempsey all left, as well as substitutes Steven Caulker and Jermain Defoe.
      Kyle Walker would stick around for four more years before a £45m move to Manchester City.
      Most recently, Jan Vertonghen was released after eight seasons in North London.
      Spurs have certainly upgraded their attack since then, with Harry Kane now leading the line instead of Emmanuel Adebayor.
      Instead of Aaron Lennon and Dempsey on the wings, Mourinho now relies on Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura.
      Behind the striker, Bale was first replaced by Christian Eriksen but Dele Alli has claimed the spot for his own – despite failing to always impress his boss.

      The combination of muscle and technique in the midfield remains consistent with today’s selection, which sees Harry Winks and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg replace Huddlestone and Parker.
      While Huddlestone, 33, is now without a club, Fulham manager Parker can look forward to facing Bale on December 28 when he takes his side to Tottenham Stadium.
      Right-back has proven a difficult position for Spurs since Walker’s exit, with Serge Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters failing to consistently impress ahead of Matt Doherty’s £15m arrival in the summer.
      Where Bale will fit into Mourinho’s team remains to be seen, with a debut still possibly a month away.

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      Gareth Bale ‘passes medical’ as Tottenham close in on £20m loan transfer for Real Madrid superstar More

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      Jose Mourinho ‘told Tottenham stars to play for a draw vs Crystal Palace and wasted time from 80 minutes’, says Townsend

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      TOTTENHAM players were told to play for a draw and waste time during their season closer with Crystal Palace, says Andros Townsend.
      The Eagles winger, who used to play for Spurs, recalled how results elsewhere had a huge bearing on the visitors’ tactics at Selhurst Park.

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      Andros Townsend believes it is hard to argue with the results Jose Mourinho is gettingCredit: AP:Associated Press

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      The Spurs boss was noticeably delighted at their sixth-placed finish on SundayCredit: AP:Associated Press
      And the miserly tactics played out by Mourinho’s men certainly chime with the ecstatic scenes of the coach and his staff at the final whistle.
      A 1-1 draw at Palace, coupled with Wolves’ loss at Chelsea, meant Europa League football was guaranteed for the North London club.
      Townsend told talkSPORT: “We were obviously playing Tottenham and they only needed a point to finish in sixth, and you could tell the Spurs bench knew.
      “Jose Mourinho was getting messages onto the pitch that they only needed a draw, and in the last ten minutes they were literally taking the ball into the corner.”

      Mourinho, 57, replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham boss in November with the side 14th in the Premier League table.

      However, despite often negative tactics and a poor performance in cup competitions, Spurs have the fourth-best record in the division since Mourinho’s arrival.
      And Townsend believes the Portuguese coach does not deserve bad press.
      The winger noted: “I saw a stat that since Jose Mourinho took over, Spurs are fourth in the table on form.

      “So it’s crazy how the media can create a narrative and have people believing that a manager is being unsuccessful when the stats prove that is not the case.

      “Mourinho is judged on wins, he’s always been judged by wins, his style of play has never been amazing but he’s won titles.
      “So when he’s come in at Spurs and they are used to playing good football under Pochettino, when they lose the odd game it’s all ‘Mourinho is finished’.
      “But when you look at the facts he’s actually had a very good season since he’s joined Spurs.”

      José Mourinho says Spurs will not ‘buy players for £100m’ but will ‘improve’ squad after securing Europa League football with draw against Crystal Palace More