Central defender Igor Stimac entered the Kanoute debate when he declared: 'It will be harder to replace Fredi than it was Rio Ferdinand.'
Croatian Stimac gave his reaction to reports of a Kanoute bid from Fulham on his own personal website (bigfanof.com).
Stimac says: 'From a personal point of view this is a terrible blow. The loss of Fredi will be an even bigger blow than the loss of Rio, because good strikers are harder to replace than good defenders.
'This might create a great chance for Jermain Defoe but I think it's asking a lot of him to replace someone like Fredi in his first season in the Premiership. It's going to be difficult for him anyway and the last thing he needs is the added pressure of being compared to a player like Fredi.
'When things like this happen it is natural to look at your own situation but it is hard to say how this has affected me. We will just have to see what happens.'
Stimac made no mention of recent speculation linking him with a possible return to his homeland and Hajduk Split, the club where he began his career.