The 1997 Champions League winner is eagerly anticipating Saturday’s final and thinks the Bundesliga champions face a tough task given their recent record against Borussia Dortmund

Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Steffen Freund believes Bayern Munich are under tremendous pressure ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final following their defeat against Chelsea in last year’s showpiece.

Bayern head into the clash at Wembley as the favourites after impressive victories against Juventus and Barcelona earlier in the competition, but Freund has warned that BVB will be up for the fight in a potentially hot-blooded encounter.

“I have a feeling it’s going to be pretty physical and hot-blooded,” the Tottenham assistant coach told the official Bundesliga website.

“Bayern may be the favourites, but for the most part Borussia have looked pretty good against them recently. And that will be in the back of both teams’ minds.

“The pressure on Bayern is tremendous. Dortmund obviously don’t want to walk off the pitch as losers, so they’re under a certain amount as well, but taking the overall situation in the run-up, it’s Bayern who are carrying the heavier burden of expectation.

“This is Bayern’s third final in four years. Last year they were very, very unlucky to lose at home to Chelsea after being much the better side. In 2010, they were well beaten by Inter. This season, though, Bayern have impressed at every level and taking form into account they’re absolutely the favourites.”

Freund was part of the Dortmund squad that won the Champions League in 1996-97, when they beat Juventus 3-1 at the Olympiastadion in Munich.

The Tottenham attacker has been linked with a move away from north London, and the 27-year-old defender believes he would be a huge success in the Spanish capital

Sergio Ramos believes Tottenham attacker Gareth Bale would be the perfect signing for Real Madrid, and urged the winger to consider a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Liga outfit are are one of many clubs thought to be chasing Bale’s signature following a season that saw the Welshman score 21 Premier League goals and win a host of end-of-season awards.

But having missed out on Champions League football, speculation has been rife that Bale could leave White Hart Lane in the summer window.

And now Spanish defender Ramos has praised the 23-year-old’s free-scoring season, and believes he would be an ideal fit for Madrid.

“Gareth Bale is a Real Madrid-quality signing,” the Spaniard was quoted as saying by The Sun.

“He has had an exceptional season. He can punish any team in the world and has the footballing qualities we look for in Madrid.

“I am sure Madrid will not be the only team that want to sign him — but he is the right mould for us.”

Tottenham remain confident of keeping their most prized asset, however, and hope to finalise a new £130,000-a-week contract with Bale in the coming weeks.

We run through the latest talking points in world football, and which stars could be on the move this summer

With domestic seasons coming to an end across Europe, the fans are turning their attentions to who their club will look to sign this summer.

Arsenal, having won the race for Champions League football, will hand Arsene Wenger a hefty transfer war chest, while Tottenham’s hierarchy are plotting next season’s attack from the sunny shores of the Caribbean. Mourinho is set to transform Chelsea, once his return is confirmed, but where will Edinson Cavani be playing next season?

To discuss these and all the other whispers, James Richardson is joined by Goal’s Peter Staunton and former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey as we go through the latest talk from the transfer market.

The 23-year-old’s future has come under speculation after Spurs failed to qualify for the Champions League, but the club’s coach is confident their star man is going nowhere

Tottenham youth team coach Tim Sherwood believes there is no chance Gareth Bale will leave the club over the summer.

The 23-year-old triple end-of-season award winner has been linked with a big-money move away from White Hart lane after Spurs failed to qualify for the Champions League, with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid reportedly interested

However, following similar claims by manager Andre Villas-Boas, Sherwood has no fears Bale will seek pastures new ahead of the new season.

“He’s fantastically happy at Tottenham,” Sherwood told talkSPORT. “I see him around the training ground every day, he’s got a good working relationship with the manager and he loves his team-mates. They show him the respect that he deserves and he gives it back to them.

“I don’t see him banging the door down trying to get a move. I believe one million per cent he will stay at Tottenham.

“It’s crucial for all teams when you’re at the level of the league that we are, pushing for Champions League football, that players like Gareth Bale stay at your club.

And while Sherwood is aware that a number of clubs will be eyeing up a move for the ex-Southampton man, he feels Tottenham is the right club for his development.

“There will be a lot of clubs wanting to take Gareth but he’s 23-years-old and fortunately for Gareth and Tottenham, he’s got good advisors,” he added.

“They know that it’s not a flash in the pan, that he’s got built in quality. Next year he will be exactly the same. There’s time for him to go overseas or to another Premier League club but I think he needs to stay here.

“He’s developing fantastically well, he just needs to put a level of consistency in his performance over a few seasons. He’s already shown he can do it week-to-week, he needs to kick on next year and produce the same quality that he has this year.

“The opportunities will arise for him in the future if he wants to go over there.”

After missing out on a place in the Champions League, the north London side are devising a way to keep Gareth Bale at the club and attract new stars to White Hart Lane

SPECIAL REPORT
By Greg Stobart

Tottenham’s immediate future was defined by Sunday’s crushing disappointment of missing out on Champions League football, but their long-term fate and ability to compete with the Premier League heavyweights will be shaped thousands of miles away from their north London home during a series of crunch meetings this week.

The squad have flown out to the Bahamas, the home of their billionaire owner, Joe Lewis, for a post-season friendly against the Jamaican national team. During the trip, Lewis will sit down with chairman Daniel Levy and head coach Andre Villas-Boas to discuss the club’s strategy after they missed out on a top-four finish.

Lewis has already approved Levy’s decision to break his rigid wage structure to convince Gareth Bale to sign a new contract. The double footballer of the year, who scored 21 league goals this season, has already agreed to the £130,000-a-week deal and is expected to officially put pen to paper before taking a well-earned summer holiday with his partner and young child.

Levy has a strong relationship with Bale’s agents, Stellar Group, and is believed to have agreed that the 23-year-old will be sold next summer if Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League, although no buyout clause will be inserted into the contract.

Bale is attracting interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United, and Spurs know they will be considered vulnerable after being forced to settle for Europa League football next term.  They need to show Bale, and the rest of Europe, that they mean business and will no longer meekly accept their place in the food chain.

The expectation is that Tottenham will ‘go for it’ this summer despite missing out on the riches of the Champions League. Villas-Boas was never expected to achieve a top-four finish this season by those at the top, and the 2013-14 season was always going to be the true test of the Portuguese’s skill.

The likelihood is that Spurs will adjust their wage budget than start splashing out on transfer fees. Top targets like Barcelona striker David Villa would require the Londoners to spend wages in excess of £110,000-a-week but would add much-needed quality in an area where the squad is desperately weak.

While Villa is a star name, Tottenham’s fundamental policy will stay the same. As Villas-Boas said on Sunday, the club’s modus operandi remains “scouting properly and looking for good grabs in summer window to make it a stronger squad.”

To that end, Villas-Boas can be expected to be joined by a new ally on the club’s transfer committee this summer. Both the manager and the chairman are keen for a technical director to act as a conduit between training ground and boardroom. Franco Baldini, the general manager of Roma, is the leading candidate for the role thanks to his network of contacts in the game and his strong relationship with Villas-Boas, who he previously tried to bring to the Italian capital.

Tottenham will continue to build a squad around young talented players with the potential to improve and increase in value. Leandro Damiao, the Brazilian striker, is a long-term target while Spurs are also looking closely at the French, Dutch, German and Belgian markets for young talent.

Another major aspect of Tottenham’s business model is the promotion of young players from the academy, especially following the move last summer to a state-of-the-art training centre in Enfield. The likes of Tom Carroll, Andros Townsend and Danny Rose are expected to become members of the first-team next term.

With the decision made to keep Bale, the club will also resist any offers for other key players including Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen and Sandro. The only anticipated departures will be those sanctioned by Villas-Boas – he would like to upgrade on Emmanuel Adebayor should a club be willing to pay the Togolese’s wage demands, while Benoit Assou-Ekotto is also expected to leave this summer.

It will not be all change. The weaknesses in the squad are obvious and Spurs feel they need three or four additions to start next season with a strong and balanced group of players. Levy has also told Villas-Boas that he will look to avoid his customary wheeling and dealing at the end of August and wants a ‘complete’ squad in place for the start of the new campaign on August 17.

Tottenham know how vital it is to hit the ground running. They have one year with the best player in the country in their ranks to get it right and next season will be the real opportunity, perhaps the last, to make a breakthrough.

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