Source: Team_Talk
Selling Niko & Defoe would not Luka good
TEAMtalk guest and Spurs fan Abbi Summers believes selling Niko Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe would send the wrong signal to star man Luka Modric.[LNB] When the season came to an end and I realised Niko Kranjcar had barely touched the ball all season, I felt a little bit disappointed. [LNB]Having a player of his quality warm the bench for 10 months and be refused the opportunity to stretch his legs for more than three minutes at a time infuriated me. [LNB]Spurs missed out on a second successive season in the Champions League due to the lack of energy and fatigue within the squad. Surely rotating the players in the Premier League games and letting subs prove themselves to Harry Redknapp would have been a smart idea, especially to rest the likes of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, who ultimately picked up injuries which in turn sparked our disappointing second half of the season.[LNB]Resting Bale and playing Kranjcar would have given the winger some hope that he still had a future at Spurs, but instead of doing this Redknapp chose to sign Steven Pienaar, who in my opinion is nowhere near as good as the Croatian playmaker. [LNB]I'm not alone in being a big fan of Kranjcar, who has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, Fulham, Everton, Palma and now Dynamo Kiev, who can all see the potential, skill and class that he possesses. [LNB]And I don't blame him for wanting to leave Spurs. After moving from Portsmouth in 2009 on the back of a great season, Redknapp seemed to take a dislike to him when he returned from his summer holiday. Rumours suggested that Redknapp's change of heart towards the midfielder was because he returned to pre-season training late and overweight.[LNB]Last season on the rare occasion that Redknapp played him, the Croatian delivered the goods off the bench, scoring two fantastic goals in crucial games for the club and securing six points against Bolton and Sunderland. [LNB]Redknapp seemingly faces a tough fight to hang on to Luka Modric this summer - and if he does go, it seems madness to sell a player who could potentially fill his boots.[LNB]That's a bold claim, but Modric needs to see ambition at the Lane and selling the likes of Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe this summer would send out all the wrong signals about their intent.[LNB]Chairman Daniel Levy has pledged the club will not sell Modric "at any price" - but it's hard to trust a man who has previously caved in to selling Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov, leaving little time to find a replacement. [LNB]I'd like to think Tottenham have learnt from their mistakes in the transfer market and stand firm this summer, as keeping Modric and adding to our squad is vital if we are to get back into the Champions League.[LNB]Recent speculation has suggested that Redknapp is looking to show Kranjcar, Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Sebastien Bassong the door this summer - but we need a big squad if we are going to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool for a top-four spot so this is madness to me.[LNB]I don't have a problem with selling Pavlyuchenko if it means we get a top-class replacement in, with Samuel Eto'o saying he wants to move to England.[LNB]But selling England striker Defoe worries me as he is a proven Premier League scorer who guarantees goals if given regular first-team action. [LNB]In the 2009-10 season he bagged 18 league goals but he is a confidence player and needs to be cajoled by Redknapp, who has had a major influence on his career.[LNB]Defoe has been linked with our arch rivals Arsenal - and thought of that fills me with dread as I fear he'd do well for them.[LNB]Redknapp railed at being labelled a 'wheeler-dealer' in a TV interview last season, but it's hard for him to shake that tag when he's linked with a move for the likes of Matthew Upson, who is available on a free transfer.[LNB]I'd rather we show some ambition and show Bolton the money for Gary Cahill, who Owen Coyle believes has the potential to play at the very top level, as this would strengthen our defensive pool and show Modric we mean business in our quest for silverware.[LNB]Bargain buys won't get us in the top four next season, especially with Liverpool and City splashing the cash as they look to reinforce their position.[LNB]The transfer market still has a long way to go before its August 31 deadline and there will no doubt be many twists and turns - but I really hope Redknapp can put his petty differences with the likes of Kranjcar behind him and realise what a classy player he has in his squad before it is too late.
