Interview with Jermain Defoe: Jermain Defoe and his team-mates at Tottenham Hotspur have witnessed two short speeches in the last eight days and, for Spurs fans awaiting the visit of Arsenal to White Hart Lane this lunchtime, it is difficult to know which is the less inspiring.

From Jacques Santini a week yesterday Defoe heard a muted and partially explained farewell after just 13 games under the Frenchman. From Martin Jol, Santini's successor, they heard a statement of ambition that could also be described as muted.

Tottenham finishing in the top half of the table this season, Jol informed the squad, would be "great".

Defoe was divulging no dressing-room secret when he revealed Jol's hopes, and there was no criticism of his new manager - in fact Defoe is looking forward to the more expansive style favoured by Jol. It is just that, sitting in the Mayfair offices of his agent, the greater scale of Defoe's ambition shone like the diamond studs in his ears.

"The manager Martin Jol said come the end of the season we should be in the top 10 and that would be great," Defoe explained. "With the players we have, we should be - Tottenham is a big club and we should be doing that. If we don't do that it'll be devastating for the players, staff and especially the fans.

"At the beginning of the season I was speaking to Ledley (King) and I said: 'Led, do you not think we can finish in the top six this season?' Why not - with all the players we have brought in? Last year was disappointing and we have to push on. It's frustrating for the players, you know, to finish 14th in the league. If that did happen again I would be devastated. I hate losing. I even hate losing in training."

Defoe had just arrived - late - from training. He had stayed on for some shooting practice on his own, he said. It is a regular occurrence apparently and as Defoe talked about a lifestyle that seems to include training, games, watching Match of the Day and little else, a picture emerged of a young man determined never to be satisfied with top-10 finishes.

Defoe was 22 last month and in September scored his first goal for England against Poland in a World Cup qualifier. He joined Spurs from West Ham for £7 million in January and has 15 goals in 27 starts. He has also had three Spurs managers in those 10 months.

That degree of flux is undoubtedly one reason why Jol has set his sights where he has. The Dutchman has yet to establish his authority but Defoe said that at Burnley in the League Cup on Tuesday night there was a first sign of Jol's influence.

"When you get a new manager training is always going to be different," Defoe said, "but then Martin has been here so it isn't totally different. But I think we showed the other night that we got tight to people and he wanted the full backs to get forward and get crosses in. That showed there was a difference. Martin Jol wants you to play out from the back, full backs push on, get crosses in. That's what he believes in. As a forward you want that."

The contrast with Santini's conservatism went unsaid. But when Defoe was taken back to the match at Chelsea, when Tottenham drew 0-0 and Jose Mourinho derided the Spurs tactics - "they parked a bus across their penalty area" - there was a reference to personal unease.

"Sometimes," Defoe said, "you have to do that away from home, especially against a great side like Chelsea. And it worked, to be honest. Nil-nil, we got a point. But it was difficult playing like that. You have to try not to get frustrated. But I ain't going to lie to you, I didn't enjoy the Chelsea game at all. I didn't get much of the ball, didn't have any shots, just working hard."

After the game Mourinho expressed his sympathy for "a great young player like Defoe" having to operate in such a system. It did not feel like the most subtle comment Mourinho has made about an opposing player and it is hardly unknown within football that Chelsea need a predatory striker and that Defoe is mid-table among wage-earners at Tottenham. Defoe did not say so but an England centre forward belongs in the Champions League. There are others besides Chelsea interested in how settled or otherwise Defoe is at White Hart Lane.

Arsene Wenger may be tempted to wonder again about Defoe today. For Defoe a move to Arsenal would be a homecoming of sorts because it was to Highbury Defoe went as a boy. His hero was Ian Wright, with whom Defoe later shared a dressing-room at West Ham.

But it is with Tottenham that Defoe has another four years on his contract and as he said of Santini's departure, "as a player you just have to get on with it".

"At the meeting he apologised that it was the day before a game. I don't think there's much he could have done about it and I don't think there's much we could do. We had the meeting, he said what he wanted to say and that was that, to be honest. It wasn't a long meeting. When you're the manager and you've made your decision, basically that's it. No one is going to say 'Mr Santini, why are you going?' He did say it was for personal reasons and you never know what it is. You don't really want to say 'what is it?'

"Quite crazy really, and there's nothing much you can do. But when you're at home you sit down and think, 'pre-season he was here and now he's gone, just like that'.

"I was warming to Mr Santini, definitely. When someone like him comes to the club, with all his experience, all the players respected him. Obviously, it was difficult for him because he didn't speak good English, but he was learning and he was getting better by the day. He was okay. He used to do a lot of the coaching, especially on a Thursday and Friday leading up to games. He would do more then, but Martin did a lot of coaching as well. So it's not like it's someone new again and back to square one. Martin has been here and we have a relationship with him."

A first Premiership victory over Arsenal at White Hart Lane since 1999, when Tim Sherwood scored the winner, would boost Jol, Spurs and Defoe. Whatever the result, Defoe will shun the advances of his mates and girlfriend to go out tonight and instead will be home in time to watch Match of the Day. If needs be he will take his sweetheart to the local chip shop beforehand, as he did after the Birmingham City game this season. "I wanted to see my goal. She weren't impressed at all."