When Luka Modric used the outside of his foot to whip a majestic cross over the entire Spanish defence to his compatriot Ivan Rakitic in Croatia’s Group C game against Spain, Spurs fans must have been hoping that nobody was watching.
Looking on as your star players perform well at international tournaments is always a bittersweet occurrence, especially when you’ve just missed out on the Champions League and said player has got the itch.
The prospect of Modric remaining in north London, whilst still a possibility, appears unlikely considering the departure of Harry Redknapp, his desire to play in Europe’s top competition and a host of suitors knocking at his door.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest and it’s not hard to see why. Despite the added competition the price is not thought to be as high as it was last year when Chelsea had a £40m bid rejected. Times have changed, Redknapp is gone, Modric’s Croatian team-mate Vedran Corluka suggested that the playmaker could leave and Spurs have the chance to take that money and reinvest it.
However, the problem for Spurs runs deeper than just Modric. There are also rumours that Rafa van der Vaart could be tempted by a move to Schalke to meet up with former boss Huub Stevens. Stevens expressed his desire to work with the Dutchman again and with the Spurs midfielder now 29 he could be open to one last big contract, especially as Schalke are in next year’s Champions League. The former Ajax, Hamburg and Real Madrid man did state that he was willing to stay at Spurs for another year but that was before Redknapp was sacked.
Parker is now 31, with a history of injury problems and is bound to return from Euro 2012 physically exhausted – Tottenham have some difficult decisions to make. Whilst Spurs are lucky enough to have excellent back up to the first team in Huddlestone and Sandro, without the attacking flair of van der Vaart or Modric the midfield would lose some of it’s cutting edge.
This is clearly a crucial time for Spurs. To miss out on the Champions League once or twice can be excused by the players but if they fail to break in to the top four this year the exodus of certain players could begin. Modric was crucial to Spurs’ early season form last year and Tottenham have to decide whether to cash in on the Croatian now or hold to him to his, quite lengthy, contract for another year or two.
It seems somewhat ironic that Spurs, who have so enjoyed, and in fact benefited from Arsenal’s demise in the past decade should now begin to experience some of their rivals’ problems. The prospect of losing your best players is a biannual occurrence for the Gunners as each transfer window brings new rumours. Unless Spurs’ fortunes begin to change, they too could see the vultures circling.
The difference between the two north London clubs is that Arsenal have Champions League football and Spurs have their players tied down to much longer contracts. The problem for Daniel Levy is whether or not an unhappy Modric, held against his will, would perform as well as he has over the past two seasons, especially without the man management skills of Redknapp.
There are positives for Tottenham fans however. Just as other clubs may be using the European Championships as a shop window for Modric, so too can Spurs look for a replacement. Dzagoev and others have impressed in Poland and Ukraine but just as in their pursuit of a manager, Tottenham need to act fast. Lessons can be learned from Arsenal’s nightmare summer of 2011 in which they dragged their transfer business out until the last day. Spurs must ensure that the mistakes of their rivals are not repeated.
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