Harry Redknapp tells court: I’m no businessman, just a fantastic manager

Rafael van der Vaart ‘to make £8m Spurs transfer’, says Harry Redknapp

Speaking outside the club’s training ground shortly after the 6pm deadline had passed, Redknapp confirmed he and chairman Daniel Levy had been in talks over the Dutch international midfielder.

And although the talks had only begun two hours before the window was due to close, Redknapp remains hopeful of confirming Van der Vaart as a Tottenham player in time to announce him in his 25-man Premier League squad on Wednesday.

“We’re just waiting for some clearance,” he said.

“I was told he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for around £18million and then suddenly Daniel called me at around four o’clock and asked if I wanted to do something.

“The price was around £8million and for that sort of money we thought it was worth seeing what we could do.”
Van der Vaart’s future at the Bernabeu has been in doubt for some weeks, especially since Jose Mourinho signed Werder Bremen and Germany star Mesut Ozil, who is likely to be the club’s main creative spark this season.

Redknapp already has playmaker Luca Modric at his disposal and could find it difficult to fit both him and the Dutchman – as well as other creative talents like Aaron Lennon, David Bentley, and Niko Krancjaer – into his first-team squad.

But the Spurs boss continued: “He [Van der Vaart] definitely improves us.

“I couldn’t say yet if it’s definitely happened or not – we need to wait to see if everything’s gone through in time. I’m hopeful.”

Spurs to make new bid for Scott Parker, offering Robbie Keane as bait

Harry Redknapp will test West Ham United’s resolve over Scott Parker by making a renewed attempt to sign him from Upton Park before the closure of the transfer window. The Tottenham Hotspur manager is expected to offer the striker Robbie Keane to sweeten the deal.

Redknapp wants another body in central midfield, even though he has signed the 21-year-old Brazil midfielder Sandro from Internacional for £6m, and he has looked at Parker, Lassana Diarra of Real Madrid and Internazionale’s Sulley Muntari.

Redknapp has already seen a £7m bid for Parker turned down but, in keeping with the Tottenham strategy of going down to the wire on deadline day, he is ready to go back to West Ham, his former club, with an improved offer.

He knows that Parker, West Ham’s captain and key player, would welcome the chance to consider the move, despite its potential for acrimony, yet there is resistance to the sale at boardroom level at Upton Park. When the club’s co-chairman David Sullivan rejected Tottenham’s £7m offer at the end of July, he was categorical on the situation.

“I made a promise that I would not sell Scott and I will not, for any amount of money, break that promise to the West Ham supporters,” he said. “Scott is not for sale at any price, to anyone.”

Parker has three years to run on his West Ham contract and the club have offered him a lucrative new five-year deal, which he has not yet signed.

Keane has grown frustrated at his fringe role at Tottenham and Avram Grant, the West Ham manager, is on record as saying that he likes the Ireland striker.

Redknapp watched one of his attacking targets, the Sevilla striker Luís Fabiano, commit his future to his current employers by signing a two-year contract extension today. Redknapp had admitted that the Brazil international was “a player I like” but Tottenham were put off by Sevilla’s valuation. “One year left on his contract, in excess of £24m-£25m for a 29-year-old – the figures don’t stack up,” Redknapp said.

The Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon will see a specialist tomorrow about an ankle problem that has bothered him of late. He has been left out of the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.

West Ham hope to conclude a loan deal for the Everton centre-half Joseph Yobo. Fabio Daprelà, the 19-year-old Swiss defender, has left West Ham to sign a five‑year deal with the Italian club Brescia.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp linked with swoop for Germany defender Serdar Tasci

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has been linked with a move for Stuttgart defender Serdar Tasci.
AC Milan and Juventus have been tracking the 23-year-old centre-half but, according to reports in Germany, the Italian giants face competition from Spurs.

Redknapp has just signed former Arsenal captain William Gallas to strengthen his defence but the White Hart Lane chief is reported to be interested in Tasci due to ongoing concerns over the long-term fitness of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.

Tasci, a first-team regular for the Bundesliga outfit who can play in the middle of defence or on the right, has 13 Germany caps and was part of Joachim Loew’s World Cup squad in South Africa.