Jol sets Benitez straight. From the spurs website.
JER-MINE!Posted: 25/03/2006 15:32:32
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Jer-Mine! | Surprise For Chris | Chairman's Response To Benitez | The King And MichaelMartin Jol has reiterated that striker Jermain Defoe is very much an important part of his squad.
Head Coach Martin contacted Jermain on his day off on Friday and spoke again to the England hitman at training on Saturday after Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez amazingly told the media that we are 'desperate to sell Defoe'.
Those comments have angered both the Chairman, Daniel Levy, and Martin.
"Why should I have my players upset in this manner? It is unbelievable. It is bad enough when agents talk and spread rumours, but this was totally unnecessary coming from a club. I would never deliberately upset another team's player like this.
"It’s also ludicrous to suggest that we are scurrying around trying to sell one of our best players. And I hear there are suggestions that we tried to swop Jermain for Cisse in January and keep trying to – I have never heard such rubbish. Why on earth would we have been interested in letting a striker as good as Jermain go in January when we were actually looking to ADD another striker?
"If other managers are interested in my players - and let’s face it they will be, I have good players and Jermain is one of them - then they know the proper way to go about asking - and we can politely say no. There is a way to do things and a way not to do things," said Martin, firmly.
Martin stressed that Jermain has more than played his part this season - and will continue to do so.
"Jermain has been involved in 30 matches,” pointed out Martin. "Robbie Keane has also been involved in 30 matches. As a matter of fact, Jermain has played more minutes than Keane."
"Jermain has done wonderfully well," continued Martin. "I always say if you play more than 25 games at this club you do well and we're happy with you.
"He is up for it and will give everything. Somebody said to me he could lack rhythm, but he has played in four out of the last six matches - nobody knows the facts.
"He has scored and made a lot of important goals for us - I have three strikers and they have scored 30 goals between them and that for me is the important statistic. Not many top teams can match this.
"He's scored his goals and made another against Sunderland for Keane. It was a scrappy game against Birmingham last week but who made the first goal? Defoe. So there's no problem at all."
With the summer transfer window looming Martin is expecting the usual tranche of misleading rumour, but feels it has started even earlier this season.
Finally, Martin added: "And no disrespect to Cisse, he is a good second striker but we don’t need this type of player now, end of story."
Levys response to Benitez
In response to Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's comments today during his pre-match press conference, that we are 'desperate to sell Defoe', our Club Chairman, Daniel Levy, has responded swiftly and angrily:
"I find today's reported comments by Rafael Benitez beyond belief. Not only are they completely untrue, but it is unprecedented that any manager should comment in this way on another team's player. It could in fact be interpreted as a direct and blatant attempt to unsettle Jermain.
There is absolutely no basis, let alone any element of truth whatsoever, in Benitez's claim today that we are looking to sell Jermain. We have not had a single conversation on this point with Liverpool or any other club so I fail to see how he can make this statement. Additionally, for the avoidance of all doubt, we have previously said and I repeat, we have absolutely no intention of making an offer for Cisse or Saha. On all these issues, I resent having to put the record straight when it should never have been put into question.
I should expect that Mr Benitez on reflection, withdraws his wholly inappropriate, unprofessional and inaccurate comments. They do him no credit."
