Andre Villas-Boas says Gareth Bale will be out until September

Tottenham Hotspur will have to begin their season without their best and most influential player as Andre Villas-Boas has revealed that Gareth Bale's foot injury will keep him out of contention until at least the beginning of September. This news has prompted many to declare that Bale may have played his last game for Spurs. Villas-Boas told the press:

"For the games against Palace, Tbilisi and Swansea, he will not be in line to threaten to come back. We will have to see how he returns from (international duty with) Wales and assess if the pain in his foot has stopped troubling his progress to return into first-team training."

"Obviously he is very far off regarding his fitness compared to the others, so it will take some time to bring him back to the level that the others are after six weeks

In addition to the games that Villas-Boas mentioned, Bale will likely miss Tottenham's match with Arsenal on September 1st, the day before the transfer window closes. Later in his remarks, Villas-Boas repeated the party line stating that the club is aware of interest in Gareth Bale, but is not willing to negotiate with them regarding the player's transfer.

It certainly seems convenient that Bale's "foot injury" will keep him out until just before the close of the transfer window. Of course he didn't play for Wales on Wednesday, so that lends some credance to the idea that Bale is injured. However, it all just seems to perfect. One has to wonder if this is something concocted by the player or the player's agent in order to force a move through.

Also, if Bale is going to miss any fixtures away to Palace, away to Tbilsi, and Swansea at White Hart Lane aren't bad ones to miss. Swansea away might have been a trickier fixture, but this early in the season and playing at home, Spur's greater quality should see them through all three fixtures. The worry is, obviously, the Arsenal match. North London Derbies are always tricky, regardless of the time they occur and who the opposition has or hasn't bought. Losing Bale for that match will certainly be problematic.

I remain rock solid in my belief that Gareth Bale will not be sold this offseason. I know this injury thing seems weird, but he didn't play for Wales and he's probably actually hurt. He's hasn't played any pre-season football, so he's obviously not match fit. We all just need to relax. Tottenham have the quality to overcome the loss of Bale in the short-term, even in a North London Derby and that's not even with any further transfers.