Redknapp: Bale Not Ready For Move To Real Madrid

Harry Redknapp believes that Gareth Bale will stay at Tottenham despite the side being unable to provide him with Champions League football next season.

The north London club missed out on a top four finish under agonising circumstances, ending the season just one point behind fourth place Arsenal.

Speculation has since been rife that Bale might ask for a transfer request to Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants admitting they are hoping to land the winger before deadline day and will pay any fee necessary to do so.

But Redknapp insists that Bale is happy at Tottenham and won't leave for the next season at least.

When asked if he would stay, Redknapp told Talksport: "Yeah, I think he will. Gareth won't want to leave, he's happy at Tottenham.

"He's not an over-ambitious lad. He wants to be successful obviously but he's not someone I can see moving to Real Madrid at this stage in his life.

"His football is going great, he's PFA Footballer of the Year and loved in this country by football fans who know the game.

"He's very happy at Tottenham and I can see him staying for at least another year. Eventually he'll feel it's time to give it a go abroad, somewhere like Barcelona or Real Madrid, because he is capable of playing anywhere."

The QPR manager went so far as to claim that Bale is one of the world's top players, arguing: "He is the third best player in the world at the moment, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo."

Redknapp is currently concentrating on rebuilding Rangers' squad as they stare at a season in the Championship. But the former Spurs manager claims that Tottenham have a good chance of making the top four next season.

"They have got the nucleus of a good side," he explained. "Jan Vertonghen was top class last year and I can see them making the top four next season, but it's going to be tough.

"Chelsea and Man City will get better and Arsenal have got to get better. They scraped into the Champions League this year but it's an Arsenal team that is nowhere near some of the last 10-15 years.

"It's the poorest Arsenal team I've seen in a few years but they still managed to scrape into fourth. I don't think they'll get away with that next year, they'll need to improve in the summer."