Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe is baffled why former club Tottenham are cashing in on their biggest assets this summer.It has been a summer of change for the White Hart Lane outfit with the likes of Giovani Dos Santos and Luka Modric arriving, while Robbie Keane has joined Pascal Chimbonda and Paul Robinson out of the exit door.

Defoe was forced to leave Spurs after failing to break up the Dimitar Berbatov and Keane partnership up front and cannot understand why the club are now opting to cash in on their star players.

The England international believes the club are going through tough times under coach Juande Ramos, but it is ultimately the fans who he feels sorry for.

Asked if there are tough times ahead for Spurs, Defoe said: "I think so. It's strange because obviously I have left the club and if they want to get rid of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, then it's going to be difficult for the club.

"I feel sorry for the fans because I can't understand why a club will get rid of their best players. That's football and I suppose there are times when players have got the opportunity to move to a bigger club.

"It's obviously a tough time for Spurs. It's a good club and I still speak to a lot of the players there. They are all my friends.

"I enjoyed my time there but you know for each player there is a time when you need to move on. I was there for three-and-a-half years.

"I enjoyed my time, I scored a lot of goals and the fans were good to me. No matter what, I will still have a piece of that club inside me."

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