Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that Spurs must qualify for the Champions League this year if they are to hold on to rising star Gareth Bale. The winger has been in ferocious form so far this season, scoring 11 goals in 21 Premier League appearances, and with speculation that Real Madrid will move this summer for Bale, his manager feared that the club must continue to progress in order to keep the Wales International.

Villas-Boas said, "I think we can reach our objectives with him at this level and if we reach our objectives, we can hopefully continue to have Gareth in our club".

The objective being Champions League qualification. Spurs are currently fourth in the table, 3 points ahead of 5<sup>th placed Everton, and 4 points clear of north London rivals Arsenal. But the club suffered a setback during their 1-0 win over West Brom last week when Jermain Defoe went off injured with an ankle injury that will see him out of action for three weeks, meaning that Emmanuel Adebayor is the club's only recognised striker. He's been in South Africa the past month with Togo for the Africa Cup of Nations, and is set to return to training with the club today, only 24 hours before the match against Newcastle at White Hart Lane.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner