Lewis Holtby wants Fulham to defeat Tottenham at the weekend even though he still belongs to the north London club.
Holtby will return to White Hart Lane at the end of the season after joining Fulham on loan in January and the terms of the deal mean he cannot play in Saturday’s fixture.
The 23-year-old midfielder still believes he can build a successful career at Spurs but for now, he is concentrating on helping Fulham survive. With Felix Magath’s team two points adrift of safety, Holtby would be happy to see Tottenham lose at White Hart Lane on Saturday if it means Fulham stay up.
“It’s a tough game for me, because I’m on loan from Tottenham but Fulham need the three points more at the moment to stay up,” he said. “I signed a long contract at Spurs and I was hoping to have a long future at the club. I still believe in my quality and that I can play for Tottenham.
“I was desperate to have some games. I hate being on the bench. I love being on the pitch and expressing myself and Fulham have given me the chance to play high-quality football in the Premier League.
“Every game is exciting now and we believe we can win all four of those that remain. For example, we play Stoke on May 3 and they are essentially safe, so maybe they won’t be that tense.”
Current Spurs head coach Tim Sherwood is not believed to rate Holtby highly but as he is to leave at the end of the season, Holtby is watching the situation closely. Holland coach Louis van Gaal has supporters in the Spurs boardroom.
Holtby added : “I think he would be able to adjust. He’s proved in the Dutch league, the Spanish league and the German league that he’s a top manager. You can see his influence in the way the current Bayern Munich team play.”
