Rafael van der Vaart has backed his comments about Ryan Gravenberch and Jude Bellingham, insisting the former would be better thought of if he had joined a club like Tottenham.
The former Spurs midfielder has been speaking to Ziggo Sport, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, about the two players after comments he made earlier this week.
He controversially claimed that Liverpool would be better served signing Gravenberch than Bellingham this summer, with the Reds linked to the Bayern Munich midfielder over the last week.
They’re believed to be keen on the Dutchman after pulling out of the race for the Borussia Dortmund star after his price tag became too high for their tastes.
Van der Vaart insisted that Gravenberch would be the better signing anyway, stating that he was far more talented, and had more in his locker than Bellingham.
Those comments naturally caused something of a stir, but he has stood by them, insisting Gravenberch would be better thought of if he had joined Tottenham last summer.
“Am I driving everyone to the closet with that?” he said.
“It’s my opinion, but I understand that people disagree. I really think so. Only the choice of club makes the difference.
“I think he is much better than Bellingham in his talent. Only Bellingham plays every week and Gravenberch does not have that chance to show it.
“(A move to Dortmund) or Tottenham Hotspur (would have been better). European sub-top sounds so negative, I think. Because I still think those clubs are great. You have to have an intermediate step now and then to really show how good you are.
“If you see him walking, upright. He can score, give assists. I think he is much better than he can show at Bayern.”
It now remains to be seen if Tottenham would be interested in signing him this summer, especially with the Dutchman potentially looking for a new club in the coming months.
