• Premier League

Villas-Boas: 'I'm counting on Van der Vaart'

ESPN staff
July 15, 2012
Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric are both subject to transfer speculation © PA Photos
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Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is resigned to losing Luka Modric but expects Rafael van der Vaart to stay at White Hart Lane.

La Liga champions Real Madrid are said to be leading the race to sign Modric, who was denied a move to Chelsea last summer.

Van der Vaart, meanwhile, has been linked with a return to Hamburg, although the Netherlands international has recently said he will "probably" stay at Spurs.

The arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson prompted doubt as to whether Van der Vaart fitted into Villas-Boas' plans, but the former Chelsea manager is expecting the Dutchman to play a key role for Tottenham next season.

"With Van der Vaart, at the moment I am absolutely counting on him," Villas-Boas said. "It is a totally different situation from Luka, who has been chased by different clubs in the past two seasons and is continuing to drag interest. We have to make sure the club's interests are met, and it is up to the chairman to decide that."

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