Bale transfer is a blow for the English game, says Wilkins

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Ray Wilkins says Gareth Bale’s departure from Tottenham is going to be a huge loss for the Premier League.

Bale is on the verge of a big-money transfer to Real Madrid and has made it clear he wants to move to Spain.

And former Chelsea and QPR man Wilkins, from Hillingdon, believes the Welshman can make a major impact in La Liga.

He told West London Sport: “Gareth has to stay with us in the Premier League – we don’t want players like him going abroad to make another league better.

“We want players that excite to stay here, from a fans point of view even more so. These types of players sell tickets.

“He’s a top-four player easily. The truth is he could go anywhere in the world and play comfortably, but you want players like him to stay in the Premier League.”

Wilkins was one of the relatively few British players to succeed abroad, having made nearly 100 appearances for AC Milan and also starred for Paris St-Germain.

The former England midfielder believes Bale will be under pressure to repeat the form he showed for Spurs last season.

“He’s outstanding, but he’s got to maintain these standards from now on,” said Wilkins.

“He has set the bar now with his performances and the bar has been set extremely high.

“He’s got to be doing it week in, week out; for this season, next season and the season after and moving to another club he might find that it brings unwanted pressure.”

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