• Frustration follows loan request for Craig Bellamy
• Pursuit of Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott also foiled
Harry Redknapp has said Manchester City are happy to allow Craig Bellamy to move to Fulham on loan but the Tottenham Hotspur manager is frustrated at City’s refusal to do a deal with his club.
Redknapp has expressed an interest in a number of City players, mindful not only of their quality but of City’s requirement to trim their squad to meet the Premier League’s new regulations. Bellamy has been a long-term target while Redknapp has chased Micah Richards since the end of last season yet he fears the pursuit is doomed to failure. City do not want to lose Richards as it would leave them short of cover at right-back. Redknapp has also made an unsuccessful loan inquiry for the centre-half Joleon Lescott.
City lost out to Tottenham last season in the race for the fourth Champions League place and they consider them to be among their rivals again this time out. As such, they are reluctant sellers to them in the transfer market. The Fulham manager, Mark Hughes – who has worked with Bellamy at Blackburn Rovers, City and Wales – has made the striker his top target and he may draw encouragement from Redknapp’s comments.
“They [City] must want to sell Bellamy but they wouldn’t want to loan him to us,” Redknapp said. “Richards wouldn’t be a goer, not really. I don’t think they want to loan anyone to us. That’s why they would loan Fulham Bellamy but wouldn’t loan people to us.”
Redknapp agreed a £6m deal for the highly rated 21-year-old Brazil midfielder Sandro in March but the player does not arrive until after his current club, Internacional, with whom Tottenham have a tie-up, conclude their Copa Libertadores final against Chivas Guadalajara this week. Internacional lead 2-1 going into Wednesday’s second-leg.
It has been a frustrating summer for Redknapp, who has missed out on the signatures of Joe Cole and Scott Parker. He hopes to sign the goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa from Spartak Moscow and has said he has an interest in the central defender William Gallas, who is a free agent after leaving Arsenal.
Redknapp said he had narrowly failed to pull off a deal for a star player at one of England’s top clubs, although he refused to name him. “There was one particular player, I just think would have been amazing for this club, an amazing signing and I really thought we had a real chance,” he said. “He’s at a big club and it’d be difficult. Where? In England.
“It was just getting the one or two who could make the difference. I don’t need to bring decent players in, players who you say: ‘Is he better than this one? Well, there’s not much in it.’ I wouldn’t bother. I’d rather stick with what I’ve got.”
Ledley King has said he will not follow Paul Robinson and Wes Brown in announcing his England retirement, although, given his chronic knee trouble, it seems unlikely that he will feature again at international level.
“I won’t pull myself out but first thing’s first, I need to come back here [to Tottenham] and try and stay fit,” King said. “It’s about staying fit here and we’ll look at it from there.”
Redknapp said: “If England play midweek, Ledley can’t play on Saturday for Tottenham. It’s nothing the boy can do.”
Tottenham HotspurHarry RedknappManchester CityTransfer windowDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk
