Southampton Football Club News

• Nickname:Saints
• Founded:1885
• Manager:Nigel Adkins

• Ground:St. Mary's Stadium
• Capacity:32,551

Burley defiant over Bale

05 Jan 2007 - 08:06:35

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Southampton boss George Burley has again dismissed talk of an imminent exit from the club by teenage ace Gareth Bale.

The 17-year-old left-back has been linked with a number of top-flight clubs, as well as Real Madrid, but Burley insists the Wales international is going nowhere at the moment.

He commented: "There has been no change on Gareth. I've said all along we want to keep him as long as possible and nothing has changed.

"I spoke to Gareth's parents last week and they are as pleased as punch with the way things are progressing, which was nice to hear.

"He has made great progress this season, but he is still only 17 and still has a long way to go.

"The bottom line is how he is progressing and how much he can improve. He's doing well and we want to keep him for a long time."