Tottenham Hotspur will want to keep hold of Niko Kranjcar
Niko Kranjcar first made waves when he captained Dinamo Zagreb at the age of 17. After a successful time in Croatia, winning titles with Zagreb and fierce rivals Hajduk Split, he moved to Portsmouth under Harry Redknapp in summer 2006.
He proved to be an excellent signing, impressing in his first season, and then being a vital component in Portsmouth’s fantastic season in 2007-2008, where they finished a point off potential European qualification, but secured it anyway with a win in the FA cup. Kranjcar came to the fore in that season, and the season that followed, where despite Portsmouth beginning to flounder, he produced a string of impressive performances.
Tottenham, and their new manager, Kranjcar’s mentor, Redknapp swooped to sign him at a cut price because of Portsmouth’s financial situation in the summer of 2009. Initially, he did not fit in well at White Hart Lane, but a long term injury to Luca Modric gave him a spot in the team, and he began to settle in well at Spurs, scoring 6 goals and assisting 6 others in his 19 Premiership starts and 5 sub appearances. His own injury problems hampered his development and eventually curtailed his season.
Because of the incredible rise of Gareth Bale, and the signing of Steven Pienaar, Kranjcar has not played often this season, and for the most part, has looked a little off the pace. However, after Bale got injured, Kranjcar returned to the team and proved his doubters wrong – in spectacular style. Rafael Van der Vaart scored, and then missed a penalty (as well as scoring one that was disallowed in between), before Daniel Sturridge pegged one back for Bolton in the middle of the second period. Bolton were looking towards a hard-earned away point, but Kranjcar came off the bench to score a terrific goal, shimmying past a defender, and then firing a swerving rocket into the top corner from 25 yards. Kranjcar started the next game, away to Sunderland, and had an excellent game, with top quality passing and dribbling all-round.
When Michael Dawson pulled Spurs back into the game just before half time with a bullet header, after a smart finish from Gyan, there was only going to be one winner. Spurs counterattacked, and a weak defensive header only fell to just outside the box, where Kranjcar popped up with a low, powerful, and curling volley that evaded Craig Gordon to give them their second successive 2-1 victory against a top 10 side. Two goals of the highest quality that kept Spurs’ top 4 push going along with their European ambitions definitely proved Kranjcar’s quality.
Kranjcar is not one for statistics. He’s not a 20 goal a season midfielder like Gerrard or Lampard used to be, he’s barely a 10 goal per season man. You will not see him at the top of the assist tables either, but that is not Kranjcar’s worth to the team. He’s similar in style of play to compatriot Luca Modric, and Mesut Ozil. He’s very good with the ball at his feet, adept at wriggling out of tough situations and at using his agility to wriggle past defenders. He’s inventive, and yet composed on the ball – he is not the type to give the ball away lightly and would much rather keep the ball for the team than venture into the outrageous. He’s very quick on the turn and adroit at finding small gaps in defences to slide passes through. His free-kicks and long shots effectively dip and swerve into the top corners, and he’s a versatile player, able to play centrally whilst preferring the left.
Spurs have shown that they are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Finishing 4th last season, and beating Milan this year have shown that they are capable of pushing on both domestic and European fronts. While they have a seemingly full midfield, with attacking midfielders aplenty, Kranjcar’s versatility and class means they must find space to accommodate him. Generally, you look for your squad players to be consistent, and true, so far Kranjcar has not been that. But what he can be for Spurs, as he showed against Bolton and Sunderland, is their trump card.
