Bale's PFA triumph underlines importance of top four finish for Tottenham

Gareth Bale's double PFA award winning season has only made himself a bigger target for clubs who will surely come calling during the off season.

Bale is, arguably, one of the top three players in the world right now and his remarkable season with Tottenham Hotspur will not have gone unnoticed by superpowers such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The Welshman is fully deserving of his triumph at the PFA awards although if it were not for Luis Suarez's moment of madness against Chelsea, there would almost certainly be a different name on the trophy.

As it is, however, Bale has achieved something that only two players have previously achieved (Andy Gray and Cristiano Ronaldo are the other two) and he is one of the most prized assets in European football right now.

Which all means that it is absolutely imperative that Spurs are able to guarantee the young winger Champions League football next season, something they are currently not on course to do, having thrown away a 7 point lead on their neighbours Arsenal.

It all comes down to their visit to Stamford Bridge in a game that will decide who finishes come season end. Spurs have not enjoyed success on their visits to Chelsea in recent years but it is so vital that they come away with all three points, not only for this season but for seasons to come.