MARTIN Jol has admitted he regrets not having had the chance to work with Tottenham’s Rafael Van Der Vaart ahead of the playmaker’s visit to Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Jol took over as coach of Hamburg in May 2008 just weeks before Van Der Vaart left the German club to join Spanish giants Real Madrid in an £11million deal.
The Fulham boss was disappointed by the departure of his fellow countryman and believes the Whites will need to keep a close eye on him this weekend.
“It was unfortunate that when I went to Hamburg he was only there for about two weeks,” Jol said.
“On the Saturday we were going to be playing against Real Madrid in the Arsenal Tournament [The Emirates Cup]. He said ‘I will probably be playing for the opposition tomorrow’ and the next day they told me they had sold him to Real Madrid.
Jol is not surprised by the way Van der Vaart has taken to the English game, with the former Galáctico having found the net seven times in 12 appearances for Spurs this season.
He added: “The Spurs way is to play with wide players like Lennon and Bale who are always capable of playing good football. I thought at first with a number 10 [Van der Vaart] it would be different.
"I thought they would play with two strikers but Van der Vaart has made such a difference. I think they play in a very flexible, continental way.”
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