Sherwood: Tottenham would be title challengers if Bale stayed

Tottenham Hotspur would be Premier League title challengers if Gareth Bale had stayed at White Hart Lane, according to Tim Sherwood.

The Wales international completed a world-record £85.3m move to La Liga giants Real Madrid on transfer deadline day last summer.

If you put those points that he accumulated for us on top of what we have got we would probably be challenging for the title

Tim Sherwood

Bale scooped the PFA player and young player of the year awards last season after scoring 21 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.

The 24-year-old scored the winner in Madrid’s 2-1 win against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday night.

Asked about Bale’s goal, Sherwood replied: “That is business as usual for Gareth Bale.

“We saw what he did last year: 21 goals and nine assists. He scored the winner in eight games.

“We could do with that now, by the way. If you put those points that he accumulated for us on top of what we have got we would probably be challenging for the title.

“The two best players on the pitch last night (in the Copa del Rey final) were Gareth Bale and Luka Modric and that says everything.”

Bale scored 49 goals in 127 games for Spurs during his last three seasons at White Hart Lane.