Gareth Bale Should Leave Tottenham After Spurs Miss Champions League

Despite leading Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-0 victory over Sunderland with a beautiful goal on Saturday, it likely won't be enough to keep star midfielder Gareth Bale on White Hart Lane.

The Spurs' disappointing fifth-place finish in the English Premier League standings will likely—and should—result in Bale's departure, as Joe Bernstein of the UK's Daily Mail reports.

Gale has grown tired of playing for a club not participating in Champions League football and won't be playing in next year's World Cup (via Bernstein), which could open up the doors for Bale to leave the Spurs and join a contender in the Premier League.

According to Bernstein, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United are all interested in the scorer. A move to the Red Devils would undoubtedly make Manchester United the consensus favorite next season—David Moyes surely wouldn't mind bringing in a talent like Bale in his first season at the helm in Old Trafford.

Either way, it's safe to say the Spurs wouldn't have been competing for fourth place and a spot in the Champions League without the play of Bale this season. The 23-year-old netted 21 goals for Tottenham and was arguably the single-most important player to any Premier League squad this season.

With not much help alongside him—the next closest goalscorer was Jermaine Defoe with 11 goals. It's hard to imagine Bale sticking around for another disappointing season with the Spurs when powerhouses like Manchester City and Manchester United are knocking.

Bernstein notes that Bale made no commitment to his current club when he accepted the Footballer of the Year award, only adding to the speculation that Bale's days with the club are numbered. 

Lastly, Bernstein makes it sound like Tottenham wouldn't be on par with keeping an unhappy Bale. Combine that with the fact that Andre Villas-Boas could potentially be targeting players like Leandro, Joao Moutinho and Christian Benteke as transfers, and the odds of Bale remaining with the Spurs don't seem to be in Tottenham's favor. 

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