Harry Redknapp endures hit and miss transfer deadline day
- Mikey Stafford
-
guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday 1 September 2009 21.22 BST
Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Tom Jenkins
Harry Redknapp endured a frustrating transfer deadline day with the Tottenham Hotspur manager securing the services of only one of the five players he had hoped to sign before today's cut-off.
Niko
Kranjcar did join but Redknapp missed out on another Portsmouth player,
David James, as well as the Sunderland central defender Anton
Ferdinand, the West Ham United centre-half Matthew Upson and the
Manchester City midfielder Martin Petrov. Redknapp had hoped to swap
David Bentley for the Bulgarian.
Kranjcar, who cost around L2.5m,
is the third player Redknapp has signed from Portsmouth since he left
for Spurs last October, following the strikers Jermain Defoe and Peter
Crouch. The 25-year-old Croatia international, brought to Fratton Park
by Redknapp from Hajduk Split for L3.5m in 2006, will offer cover for
Luka Modric, who has a fractured leg. Redknapp described Kranjcar as a
"terrific player".
"He was in the last year of his contract at
Portsmouth, so it is a good deal for both clubs," he added. "I think
Portsmouth have got a good price."
Kranjcar said he turned
down Everton to join Tottenham: "Everton is also a big club but, in the
end, the tradition and greatness of Tottenham made the difference. I
also knew the manager Harry Redknapp and Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka
told me great things about the club."
The signing brings
Redknapp's spending since taking over at Tottenham to more than L60m.
But he was keen to make further additions, despite recording five wins
from the opening five games of this season, with central defence a
priority. Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Dawson and Ledley King are all
injured.
Tottenham approached Sunderland about a loan-swap
involving Ferdinand and Alan Hutton and although Steve Bruce was keen
on bringing the Scotland defender to the Stadium of Light, he would not
consider losing Ferdinand. Redknapp said his chairman, Daniel Levy, had
"made inquiries" about signing Upson but that a deal was never likely
to succeed after West Ham sold their defender James Collins to Aston
Villa. Redknapp's hopes of landing James were ended by Levy, who was
not willing to sanction a move for a 39-year-old with little or no
resale value. The deal was described by Redknapp as "never a
possibility".
The arrival of Petrov was more possible but with
City's interest in Bentley thought to be minimal, and Tottenham's offer
for the 30-year-old Bulgaria international too low, that transfer also
came to nothing. Petrov's agent said his client's move fell through
because of the "unwillingness" of City's manager, Mark Hughes