‘Left us vulnerable’ – Michael Dawson was ‘devastated’ when Spurs teammate left

Michael Dawson admitted that he was devastated when Luka Modric left Tottenham to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2012. 

Modric was nothing more than a highly-rated young talent when he arrived at Spurs from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008 but the Croat quickly evolved into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League over the next few years.

The Croat’s performances in the middle of the park were key to the Lilywhites qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history in 2010 and subsequently making it to the quarter-finals of the competition.

The midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in 2011 but Daniel Levy held firm and managed to keep hold of him (Guardian).

Modric eventually completed a move to the Spanish capital a year later and the former Spurs man has gone on to become one of the greatest players in Los Blacos’ history.

When asked about Modric, Dawson told Chris Cowlin’s YouTube channel (38 mins): “To still be going at 36? Exceptional. I was sad to see him leave, you sit here now as an ambassador of this club. 

“He’s fulfilled everything, he’s played for Real Madrid, won the Champions League and everything over there. 

“As fans, it can be hard to see, but as a player, I was devastated to see him go, he left us vulnerable because we lost an incredible player, and I can only speak highly of him.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I was not too displeased when Modric left us in 2012 as I fully expected him to leave that summer as the Croat had become too good for us at the time. It would have been a lot more difficult to stomach if he had moved to Chelsea the previous summer.

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