It's been long overdue, but Harry Redknapp has finally, for the first time in at least a year, given the Croatian midfielder his due respect.
Following Kranjcar's master-class performances against Scottish Premier League team Hearts in the Europa League, Harry Redknapp had this to say about Kranjcar:
"I thought Niko Kranjcar was outstanding in midfield. He never plays there (central) really. I play him off the left, he plays behind the front, but he played central and he enjoyed it. He got on the ball, joined up with Rafa well in the first half and he was outstanding.
"Niko ran the game, really. He is a great footballer. I brought him here from Portsmouth and he can really play. He was linking up with Rafa and there was great movement everywhere. I couldn't have asked for more. It was excellent."
Remarkably, this same midfielder has been linked with a move away from Tottenham for most of the summer. Following his Hearts performance, Harry Redknapp set about to quash those rumors:
"No, he isn't going to Sunderland. We want to keep him. He is an outstanding player. I love him. He will be important for us."
For the duration of the 2010-11 season, Niko Kranjcar has been criminally underutilized at Tottenham, as Harry Redknapp has, as he admitted above, only ever seen him as a left midfielder and attacking midfielder or second striker.
Considering that Tottenham have Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart in those positions, Kranjcar has, somewhat understandably, not had many opportunities to shine.
But it must be noted that, despite the intense competition in Kranjcar's normal positions, Harry Redknapp must bear a great deal of blame for the under-utilization of Niko Kranjcar. As Niko Kranjcar is capable of playing with both feet, Harry Redknapp could've easily given Kranjcar the opportunity to compete with Aaron Lennon for starts in the Tottenham lineup.
Instead, not only did Redknapp not give Kranjcar any opportunities on the right of midfield, but he essentially spat in the face of the player by signing Steven Pienaar, a player who not only plays the same positions as Niko Kranjcar, but has a similar playing style as well. Pienaar picked up starts in place of Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale, while Niko Kranjcar was given practically no playing time following two spectacular performances against Bolton and Sunderland.
Now don't get me wrong, Steven Pienaar is a talented player and was a bargain at the price paid to sign him from Everton (£3 million), but Niko Kranjcar is better. He was instrumental in Portsmouth's FA Cup victory, and has generally been a success with every club he's played at.
Furthermore, he has excelled when given trust and playing time. When allowed to play out the full 90 minutes for Tottenham, Niko Kranjcar has only lost once, against Stoke City in the 2009-10 season, and has won 10 times for Tottenham (his other three 90-minute appearances for Tottenham which ended in draws).
With the new EPL season just set to begin for Tottenham, now is the time for Harry Redknapp to set things right between himself and Kranjcar, and reintegrate Kranjcar into his plans for the season.
The Croatian midfielder has been extremely professional through the tough summer that has seen offers from Dinamo Zagreb, and now Sunderland, rejected—not to mention the 2010-11 season in which he received hardly any playing time—and now deserves to be rewarded for his patience.
If Luka Modric is sold, then there can be little debate that Kranjcar, on the back of his performance against Hearts, deserves the starting spot vacated by the Croatian playmaker. However, even if Modric isn't sold, Kranjcar deserves to be above Pienaar in the pecking order at Tottenham, and to pick up starts whenever van der Vaart, Modric, Gareth Bale or Aaron Lennon are injured.
If Redknapp can properly reintegrate Niko Kranjcar into his plans for Tottenham, Kranjcar can almost be equivalent to a new signing and, along with a new midfielder and striker, help lead the charge for Tottenham's reentry into the top four.
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