There may have been more speculation this season about the future of Jermain Defoe than any other player in the Barclays Premier League, but Juande Ramos, the Tottenham Hotspur head coach, wants the striker to stay at White Hart Lane. Reports that Ramos had told Defoe that he could leave appeared to signal that the long-running saga of the player’s future would reach a climax, with Martin O’Neill, the Aston Villa manager, eager to sign the player. But Ramos is apparently more than keen for the England forward to stay.

“People say things when they are a little bit down or upset,” Defoe said of the head coach. “He pulled me the next day and said he didn’t mean it [that Defoe could leave]. He was honest with me. He said he wanted me to stay and get goals and said he wanted to achieve something special. He is a good manager with great ideas, so it’s good. I said to him: ‘What do you think? Am I part of it?’ He said: ‘Yes, you are definitely part of it. If you get a chance, take it.’

“There are four top forwards here and I understand that. The competition is hard and if you get a chance you have to take it. Maybe it was psychology, but it’s something I don’t think about. I just want to do my best for the team.”

Ramos made Defoe captain for the match against Sunderland on Saturday and fans were split about the significance of the gesture. Did it imply that it was Defoe’s last appearance for the club, or was it a way of boosting his confidence?

“It was a mad one, really,” Defoe said. “It was a bit embarrassing because I knew the boys would give me stick. I was getting a massage when the manager came in and said: ‘How do you feel about being captain?’ When someone says that, for a club like this, it is amazing.

“For me, it was special. I have always said I want to stay and the fans showed their appreciation. I love the boys, they are a great bunch of lads, and I think we can do something special.”

Defoe handed the armband to Robbie Keane when he replaced him in the second half. Keane, who scored his 100th goal for Spurs, said that the captaincy would have meant a great deal to Defoe. “When Martin Jol [Ramos’s predecessor] made me the captain for the first time, it was a great honour,” he said. “Jermain is only 5ft; he was about 8ft before the game.”

Ramos played down the significance of giving Defoe the captaincy – “I had to choose somebody” – but Keane underlined his fellow striker’s status at the club. “You have to understand that Jermain is one of the longest-serving players who was on that pitch today,” he said.