I won’t force Berbatov to stay, pledges Ramos
Berbatov’s agent was in London his week to talk with sporting director Damien Comolli and the 26-year-old’s father has since suggested the Bulgaria international is unsettled.
Comolli and chairman Daniel Levy are expected to have the final say on whether he would be sold, but Ramos has made it clear he does not want players in his squad who do not want to be there. “I believe you can’t force players to stay in the team if they don’t want to,” said the Spaniard.
“It is not good for the team or the player, so I wouldn’t stand in anyone’s way if they want to leave.”
Berbatov is in the squad for the UEFA Cup clash against Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel later today, with Spurs looking to get off the mark in Group G after losing their opening game to Getafe. “I think he (Berbatov) is happy, but that is a question you need to ask him,” Ramos added.
“He is a Spurs player and he needs to help and support the team.”
Hapoel have also had a wretched start to the season and have not won in the league yet. However the Spurs boss remains wary.
“We still respect Hapoel and it will take a big effort to beat them,” said Ramos. “We don’t take it for granted because of their place at the bottom of the league.”
Ramos helped Sevilla win the last two UEFA Cups, but his immediate aim is to get his team winning games before he thinks of adding silverware.
“The team needs a lot of support, with the support we can start winning and building confidence,” he said.
“We believe in the team and think there is a good chance of moving forward in the cup.”
Bloomfield Stadium is expected to be only half full for the match, with the city derby against Maccabi on Sunday deemed more important.
Ramos still has limited options in defence, with Anthony Gardner (ankle), Ledley King (knee), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (ankle), Ricardo Rocha (ankle) and Gareth Bale (foot) out.
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