Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas says Gareth Bale help lure top players to White Hart Lane "Gareth Bale, he was born to play for Spurs," proclaimed the White Hart Lane faithful towards the end of Saturday's game. The truth was, he looked out of Tottenham's league. And for all the talk about another season of Champions League football being enough to keep him happy, it may take more than simply that. Certainly more than the £1.5 million January signing of Lewis Holtby, who nevertheless looked lively on what was his full Premier League debut on Saturday. The German, who owes his English name and flawless grasp of the language to a British father, gave his best sales pitch to any players considering joining him in the same team as Bale. "He's a world-class player and to play with him is a great feeling," said Holtby, who had no regrets about leaving Schalke midway through their own Champions League campaign. I can't speak for other players but I had a really good feeling about this club. This club is evolving every year, or maybe every month. The sentiments almost could have been aimed directly at Bale, who has previously hinted at a desire to play abroad himself at some stage. Real Madrid would appear the perfect fit for a player whose game is becoming ever more closely aligned with that of Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale's fifth-minute free-kick against Newcastle was straight out of the Ronaldo scrapbook. Even the Portuguese might have been scratching his head at the sheer degree of dip that saw the ball bounce before careering past Tim Krul. Newcastle succeeded in smothering Bale for the next 70 minutes, during which they equalised through Yoan Gouffran's deflected shot, but the Welshman's now-customary switch to a more central role laid their plans to waste. He could have scored four times in the final 12 minutes but one surging run and finish after Fabricio Coloccini sold himself short was all that was required. Coloccini's centre-half partner Steven Taylor led the Newcastle tributes to their tormentor. He said: "For me, Gareth Bale is a world beater. He is the complete player. It is like playing Ronaldo. He is one of a kind - he is like Cristiano Ronaldo. He's one of those who can produce that bit of magic. You have to be on your toes all the time and just pray to God that he doesn't score. Bale's latest heroics also helped remove the spotlight from team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor, who reported back late from African Cup of Nations Duty. Villas-Boas confirmed Spurs were forced to dispatch an airplane to fly the striker back to London from his home continent after it became clear he would not make Friday's 3pm deadline. Adebayor eventually touched down at Luton Airport at 6pm before joining his team-mates at their hotel, too late to be considered for anything other than a substitute's role. Villas-Boas confirmed he would hold talks with the Togo star but Tottenham's manager and the club would not be drawn any further on the reasons behind his absence or whether it was now a disciplinary matter. His return was better late than never, however, with his 69th-minute introduction on Saturday as much the catalyst for Tottenham's victory as Bale's brilliance. As was Newcastle's loss of Gouffran to a freakish injury caused by Kyle Walker catching him on the shin shortly before the hour mark. Manager Alan Pardew feared a break but, despite the oxygen, stretcher and hospital visit that followed, the injury was diagnosed as a deep gash.