MX23RW : Monday, November 18 01:28:11| >> :120:9452:9452:

Gareth Bale fully focused on Wales amid transfer speculation

Gareth Bale fully focused on Wales amid transfer speculation
© Reuters
The 31-year-old said earlier this month it would "cause chaos" if he revealed his plans now.

Gareth Bale has stressed again that he will sort out his future after playing for Wales at Euro 2020 and will not "cause any distractions for myself or for the team".

Real Madrid striker Bale said after the final game of his Tottenham loan spell on May 23 that he knows where his future lies after this summer, but claimed it would "cause chaos" if he revealed it now.

Bale, 31, will lead Wales at this summer's European Championship and was asked at a squad media day to address reports in Spain that he could retire after the tournament.

Wales Training Session – Vale Resort
Gareth Bale training with the Wales squad ahead of the delayed 2020 European Championship (Simon Galloway/PA)

"Obviously there's been a lot of things written about whether I'm doing this and doing that," Bale said.

"For me, the main thing is I don't want to say anything that's going to cause more chaos or more drama or cause a distraction. I just want to focus on this Euros."

Wales start their campaign against Switzerland in Baku on June 12 before playing Turkey in the Azerbaijani capital four days later.

Robert Page's side then complete their group fixtures against Italy in Rome on June 20.

Bale said: "I don't need any distractions going into it, during it.

"I'm fully focused 110 per cent on Wales. That's all my mind is on.

"I don't want to cause any problems anywhere because I know things can get mixed in the media and people start making headlines.

"I don't want to cause any distractions for myself or for the team. My sole focus is on Wales, this Euros and nothing else. Anything else about my career, my future, will be sorted after."

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – King Power Stadium
Gareth Bale ended the season with 16 goals for Tottenham and the best goal-to-minute ratio in the Premier League (Shaun Botterill/PA)

Bale had a mixed season back at Spurs after returning to his former club for the 2020-21 season in September.

Manager Jose Mourinho never seemed to trust him fully before the Portuguese left the club at the end of April and Bale spent large periods of the campaign on the bench.

But he ended the season with 16 goals and had the best goal-to-minute ratio in the Premier League – scoring every 83.9 minutes.

He said: "It was great to finish off the season, the last few months, in goalscoring form.

Dinamo Zagreb v Tottenham Hotspur – UEFA Europa League – Round of Sixteen – Second Leg – Stadion Maksimir
Gareth Bale (left) was not always a Tottenham regular under Jose Mourinho (right)

"All it took was for me to be playing games. I knew that. I think a lot of people knew that.

"It was just game time. Once I was given the opportunity to keep playing and get my actual Premier League fitness up it felt natural that my form would be back and I'd start scoring.

"It was no surprise to me, it just needed to happen."

There are eight survivors from the Wales squad which reached the Euro 2016 semi-finals – Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies, Chris Gunter, Danny Ward, Joe Allen, Jonny Williams and Wayne Hennessey – with 19 of the 26 players having 25 caps or fewer.

Seven of the squad are in single figures and uncapped midfielder Rubin Colwill has played just 191 minutes of senior football since making his Cardiff debut in February.

"Having the experience of a major tournament is always beneficial," Bale said.

"There will be moments where that experience will be vital. If we need to give advice to the youngsters, the ones who haven't played in the tournament before, we can.

"But then also they are good players. We feel they'll be fine on that stage."

ID:449730: cacheID:449730:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10193:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Tottenham Hotspur forward Gareth Bale celebrates his hat-trick on May 2, 2021
Read Next:
Gareth Bale insists Wales will be "realistic" at Euro 2020
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15AlavesAlaves134181422-813
16Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
17Getafe13175811-310
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid132381025-159
20Valencia11146817-97


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!