Tottenham deny missing Bale as record-transfer Soldado scores on debut

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas backed Roberto Soldado to replace Gareth Bale as the club's 20-goals-a-season man and the club insisted that they did not miss the 'world-record fee ' Madrid-target, in a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

According to the Mirror, Bale, who scored a club-record 21 Premier League goals last season, missed Spurs' first match at Selhurst Park with what is claimed to be a foot injury while his transfer saga continues.

Villas-Boas said that Soldado's career spoke for him and he created a lot of chances in the game.

The manager said that he was very happy and it was a good performance because the team had good chances throughout the whole 90 minutes.