The problem I have with managers and chairman who constantly protest that they will not be cashing in on their star player is that invariably that is exactly what they end up doing.
But I sincerely hope that is not the case with Wales and Southampton starlet Gareth Bale.
He may be only just 17 but Bale is destined for the big time, no question.
Which it is why it is more important than ever that he stays put at Southampton for the time being and doesn't follow former roommate Theo Walcott to Arsenal, Liverpool or one of the other Premiership clubs said to be ready to splash the cash.
To a certain extent teams outside the top flight are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
They desperately need the money a player such as Bale can generate but equally they desperately need a player such as Bale to help them mount a credible promotion push.
Bale needs to learn his trade and Saints boss Geirge Burley has one of the best reputations in the game for helping young talent to blossom.
Staying with Burley will help Bale which will also help Wales.
Come on Gareth, your country needs you to stay put.
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Stu Wilson wrote...
I can see your point but, seeing that Liverpool have just signed a promising 17 year-old Argentinian left-back for around £1m, do you think that a) they would have been able to get Bale for a similar price; and b) British teams should be scouring the South American leagues for young talent?
For me, this raises three issues; firstly the seemingly over-inflated cost of British players these days is driving many clubs abroad, undeniably affecting youth development in this country, (as raised by Trevor Brooking some months ago); secondly the effect this extortion has on clubs unable to compete finacially means that we quite often see cheaper foreign imports brought in to fill the gaps; and third, are these youngsters better off staying at smaller clubs?
The beauty of smaller clubs selling British youngsters to their wealthier rivals is, quite crudely speaking, the money. The fee being wafted around for Bale is £7m. I wonder if he will turn out to be £6m better than his Argentinian counterpart. Regardless of whether he does or not I'm sure that Southampton could use seven million quid to replace Bale and to invest more into their youth programme.
For me, there will always be buying and selling clubs; it's an inevitable product of a competitive league system. My advice to Saints would be for them to offload Bale to the highest bidder. The deal would not only benefit Southampton, it would develop Bale as a player and also give future hope to Wales fans everywhere.
Posted by: Stu Wilson | November 28, 2006 12:11 PM