Villas-Boas: Dawson will come good at Tottenham

Sep 3, 2012 12:15:00 AM

The central defender came close to leaving Spurs during the summer transfer window but has been backed to fight his way into the north London side's first team

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has backed Michael Dawson to put forward a compelling case for his inclusion in Spurs' first team.

The former Leeds defender was handed the club captaincy this summer following Ledley King's retirement but was the subject of interest from QPR toward the end of the transfer window.


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However, that move failed to materialise and Villas-Boas has now expressed his belief that the 28-year-old can still fight for a starting berth, especially with Younes Kaboul out with a long-term injury.

"We have chatted. There is extreme competition for that central defence position," the Portuguese boss told reporters.

"Younes' operation will take him out for three to four months and it is up to Michael to compete.

"I'm sure he will come good. He is an extremely good professional and a club captain. He is looking forward to getting back into the team."

Dawson joined the north London club from Nottingham Forest in 2005 and has made 242 appearances for the side in all competitions.

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Real Madrid press conference - LIVE!

Catch the latest news from the Spanish capital as Jose Mourinho's time at Santiago Bernabeu nears its end. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Miles Chambers.

7:51 PM BST

Ayodele Olas ‏(@Olasking) tweeted: "If Mourinho is so good let him take over from Sunderland or QPR and let's see if he can win the Champions League, then I will respect him."

I feel like people complaining that top coaches only take over top clubs are missing the point. Taking over lesser clubs would squash their ambition - just look at Pep Guardiola, going from Barcelona to Bayern Munich.

Azam Nor Edwards ‏(@AzamEdwards) tweeted: "Real Madrid are too big for him. Chelsea only just right club for him I thought."

And Chelsea are favourites to swoop him back up, though Paris Saint-Germain,officially managerless Manchester City and Monaco are all outside contenders.

7:44 PM BST

Florentino Perez also addressed Real Madrid's approach for Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti: "I want to express my utmost respect for the PSG and their owners. A few days ago, the CEO went to the PSG to see whether it was possible that he could come and they said no. That is an issue that we will address tomorrow, we have a few days to think on it. There are several candidates [not just Ancelotti]."

7:37 PM BST

The Florentino Perez press conference is complete. There will undoubtedly be a few straggling quotes knocking about which I've yet to put in here, I'll keep a look out.

In the meantime, get in touch on Twitter to have your say on whether you think sacking Jose Mourinho was the right choice by Real Madrid!

7:33 PM BST

Where next for Jose Mourinho?

The popular choice remains Chelsea but could Paris Saint-Germain do a straight swap for the Portuguese, with Carlo Ancelotti going the other way to Real Madrid? Or is there another club that you can picture the Portuguese trainer rocking up at?

7:29 PM BST

Portuguese trainers around the world can breathe a sarcastic sigh of relief. Real Madrid's club president has confirmed that Jose Mourinho's exit does not (why would it?!) rule out coaches from that country coming to the Bernabeu again someday: "We could have another Portuguese coach in future. This an open-minded club and there are no limitations."

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