Rafael van der Vaart hopes Luka Modric will stay but insists Tottenham are still good enough to finish in the top four if he does leave.
Van der Vaart backs Kranjcar to fill void if midfielder leaves
Rafael van der Vaart hopes Luka Modric will stay at White Hart Lane but insists Tottenham are still good enough to finish in the top four if he does leave.
Modric continues to be heavily linked with a switch to Chelsea before the close of the transfer window despite Spurs' determination to keep hold of the midfielder.
It would be a blow for Harry Redknapp to lose such a proven Premier League performer, and Van der Vaart does not want Modric to go anywhere.
However, the Dutchman believes there are other players in the squad capable of stepping up and filling the void if Modric departs, and has set his sights on UEFA Champions League qualification.
"There is a lot of speculation about Luka and we don't know when he is going to leave," said Van der Vaart.
"I hope he will stay, but we still have plenty of other fantastic players and a team good enough to finish in the top four.
"We still have Niko Kranjcar, Jake Livermore, we have fantastic players.
"If he leaves then Kranjcar is a fantastic player and he's a little bit like Luka, he can play there.
"We have a good squad and when we play like we did against Hearts, we know we can win against everybody.
"Manchester City have spent a lot of money this summer, and so have Manchester United. But we are different at Tottenham, and it's not a problem for me."
Dawson
Defender Michael Dawson has also expressed his desire to see Modric remain at Tottenham beyond this summer.
"You want to keep your best players. It is as simple as that," said Dawson.
"I have said it before and the chairman has come out and said he is not selling. The lads certainly want him to stay."
Spurs have so far been quiet in the transfer window but talks are progressing to bring in striker Emmanuel Adebayor from Manchester City, and Dawson would welcome such a move.
"He is a top player and whoever comes in is always going to improve the squad," said Dawson. "If you want to do well, you can't have enough quality."
