Have Tottenham Hotspur just missed out on the next Gareth Bale?

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Nottingham Forest starlet Oliver Burke was linked to Tottenham before clinching a shock move to Leipzig.

Nottingham Forest’s Oliver Burke celebrates scoring their third goal

Oliver Burke’s sensational start to the season for Nottingham Forest accelerated his exit from the club, with the winger switching to the Bundesliga.

Several Premier League sides were interested in his signature, with The Mirror last week reporting Tottenham Hotspur were leading the chase.

Nottingham Forests’ Oliver Burke celebrates scoring his team’s third goal

Burke, just 19, signed for Red Bull Leipzig in a £13 million switch which Spurs and their Premier League competitors were unwilling to match.

For Tottenham, missing out on Burke is more poignant than most, considering his similarities and comparisons to ex-fan favourite Gareth Bale.

Now ex-Forest teammate Thomas Lam had told the Nottingham Post a week earlier that Burke has the ‘same strengths’ as Gareth Bale and has the potential to be as good as the Real Madrid superstar.

Nottingham Forest’s Oliver Burke shoots at goal

Burke begun the Championship season in fantastic form, netting four goals in his opening four starts, and his exit came as a crushing blow for Forest fans.

Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony criticised Premier League sides on Twitter for not splashing out on Burke.

His argument could be applied to Tottenham, who have spent the past month trying to sign Georges-Kevin N’Koudou from Marseille, and last year wasted £12 million on Clinton N’Jie from Lyon, who made no impact.

Spurs bought successfully from League One a year earlier with Dele Alli, and might just have missed a trick by not signing young sensation Burke.

Nottingham Forest’s Oliver Burke celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal

Like Bale, he would have developed playing Championship football as the Welshman did at Southampton, and could likely have benefitted from playing under Mauricio Pochettino, who is renowned for developing young players.

Tottenham do have other options, like the aforementioned N’Koudou, and potentially Wilfried Zaha, but if Burke goes on to hit the heights which are expected of him, not paying up to secure his signature could be a move the North London side regret.