Bale had hand in Davies’ Spurs move

Gareth Bale may have swapped Tottenham for Real Madrid but he is still having an impact on his former club, having helped countryman Ben Davies’ move to White Hart Lane.

After impressing with Swansea, the 21-year-old left-back was lured to north London by Mauricio Pochettino in a deal worth a reported B#10million.

Davies had been attracting interest from Liverpool but plumped for a move to Spurs – a decision swayed in part by Wales team-mate Bale, who enjoyed six years at the club before his world-record move.

“I spoke to him briefly about it, nothing too in-depth, but it was nice just to have that insight from him,” Davies said.

“He told me what the club was like and how it worked, and what he said really appealed to me.

“The transition’s been relatively easy for me. I’ve enjoyed being up here and it’s a great opportunity for me to get away from home and to experience a new lifestyle.

“I don’t think there’s any better time to do that than when you’re young, and it’s a learning curve really.”

Davies is clearly enjoying life in north London, although first-team opportunities have been harder to come by than many expected.

It was widely-assumed his arrival would see Danny Rose drop down the pecking order, although it is in fact the Welshman that has so far played understudy at left-back.

Davies has been reduced to cup appearances and is set to come back into the starting line-up when Spurs look for a first Europa League Group C win against Asteras Tripolis on Thursday.

“I think it’s a good competition for the club to be in,” he said of the Europa League – a competition he played in with Swansea last term.

“It gives the entire squad an opportunity for games, and games at the top level at that.

“The winner of this year’s competition is guaranteed a spot in next year’s Champions League too, so we’ve got to go into this competition looking to win it really, and if that means getting a Champions League spot at the end of it then that’s great for us.

“We’re expecting a tough game tomorrow. They are top of the league in our group and we’ve got to go out there as if it’s a game against one of the best clubs in Europe.

“We’ve got to put our performance right on the field first, and if that’s right then hopefully we’ll be able to get the three points.”

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