The Watchlist – Gareth Bale

Having initially braced themselves for the loss this month of two first team defenders to the upcoming African Cup of Nations, Spurs, for conflicting reasons, now find themselves in the position where neither of the expected departees will be heading to Angola.

Whilst Sebastien Bassong stays on these shores due to Cameroon manager Paul le Guen’s surprise decision to omit him from the final 23 man squad, his compatriot Benoit Assou-Ekotto has succumbed to a groin injury in the recent London derby with West Ham, and resultantly, has withdrawn from the ACON.

The left back is expected to be sidelined for three weeks, which leaves Gareth Bale as Harry Redknapp’s first choice left back for the moment, a fact the Spurs boss is more than comfortable with, going by recent praises…

After a slow start to the season, the Spurs defence is really starting to click now, and has now recorded four consecutive clean sheets in the Premiership as they set about chasing Champions League football. Bale’s expected Premiership starts read Liverpool (away), Hull (home), Fulham (home) and possibly Birmingham (away), a set of fixtures that could feasibly return a further three clean sheets for ’Arry’s boys.

Bale’s natural attacking instincts put a question mark against his capabilities as a defender, but he is, undoubtedly, a player of considerable talent.

Perhaps a little pricey at 5.3m, but with his eye for goal coupled with the fact that just 0.2% of FPL managers own the Welshman, he is maybe, just maybe, a differential worth considering.