FORMER Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has echoed Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp’s claim this week that there was no reason why Spurs cannot challenge for major honours this season.

Crouch, who rejoined Spurs from Portsmouth in the summer of 2009, reckons the current squad at White Hart Lane is stronger even than that at Anfield which reached the 2007 Champions League final.

He said: “We had some great individuals when I was at Liverpool, and we managed to reach the Champions League final – which was fantastic – but as a group of players I don’t think I’ve played with better.

“It’s not just the team, it’s the squad. We’ve got so many international players waiting to get on and get a game.

“It’s just a pleasure being part of it.”

William Gallas, meanwhile, has hailed Redknapp’s “magic” as the inspiration behind Tottenham’s fairytale first season in the Champions League.

Spurs, who play Liverpool on Sunday, sealed qualification for the knockout stages of the competition with a game to spare on Wednesday night after they swept aside Werder Bremen at White Hart Lane.

Reaching the last 16 with such aplomb is a remarkable achievement for a club whose last campaign among Europe’s elite came almost half a century earlier, and Gallas has no doubt the credit for their success lies at the manager’s door.

“Maybe he has something magic, you know?” said the 33-year-old, who retained the captaincy after being handed the armband in Saturday’s north London derby with Arsenal.