Harry Redknapp believes that keeping Gareth Bale is integral to Tottenham cementing their place as a top-four side.
Redknapp insists Spurs must keep top players
Harry Redknapp believes that keeping Gareth Bale is integral to Tottenham cementing their place as a top-four side.
Bale only recently penned a new long-term contract deal at White Hart Lane, but that has not stopped speculation about his future.
Indeed the player himself confirmed to the Spanish media that he would consider a move abroad in the future.
But Redknapp believes that selling Bale would see the whole foundation of the club ripped apart.
"If you are looking to build a club, you can't be selling Gareth as then (Luka) Modric would want to go and then someone else would want to go," said Redknapp, who compared it to when he was at West Ham and they sold their best young players.
"I had it at West Ham. We let Rio (Ferdinand) and Frank (Lampard) go and the rest followed.
"I'm sure it would have to be an amazing figure if you ever sold him, but how do you replace a player like that? It's very difficult.
"Manchester United sold Ronaldo, but they got an offer of £80m. He's Portuguese and this is more his lifestyle, here (in Madrid), than Manchester may have been.
"So, in the end, it was good business, but we wouldn't be wanting to sell a player like Gareth at this time when we're trying to build the club.
No sale
"(Chairman) Daniel Levy deals with it and we don't want to sell him. It would be an amazing figure, if we ever sold him. But how do you replace a player like that?"
"If someone is going to come along and offer millions of pounds to move him and he is going to get fantastic wages, it is difficult not to get their heads turned.
"It is part of football, there is nothing that you can do about that. Players have the power. The day that he comes in and says that he wants to go, or the agent says that he wants to move, there is very little you can do about it.
"But I don't see that happening. He signed a contract. Maybe he doesn't want to sound unambitious.
"If people ask him whether he wants to play for one of the top European clubs one day, I am sure that he would. But I don't think that he is ready to do that myself. I think that he needs a few years playing at home.
"He is only a boy. He has plenty of time to do that later in his career.
"He is in a position that he probably never believed that he would be in 18 months or two years ago, so he signed a new contract.
"I don't know what he earns, but I am sure that he is earning big money.
"He's got his family and he's not a 'Billy big time' at all. I don't think many players are. He looks round and he sees other good players there in the dressing room.
"I think if you start getting above your station in football, you get brought down."
