• Spurs reward Harry Redknapp for Champions League place
• Premier League manager of the season took club to fourth

Harry Redknapp has signed a contract extension with Tottenham Hotspur that ties him to the Premier League club until 2013.

The Spurs manager’s current deal was due to expire next year but included an option for a further two years which the club have now exercised.

“The club is delighted to announce that we have extended the contract of manager Harry Redknapp until 2013,” read a statement on the club website.

“Harry guided the side to fourth place in his first full season with the club, our highest league finish since the Premier League’s inception, with the prospect of competing in the Champions League for the first time this coming campaign.

“The achievement earned him the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Season award.”

Redknapp took over at Spurs in October 2008 with the team bottom of the table, having picked up only two points from their opening eight games.

The turnaround under his guidance was capped when Redknapp led the club into the Champions League for the first time in May, their place among Europe’s elite secured with a dramatic win over Manchester City in their penultimate game of the season.

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• Spurs’ manager says he would have made do
• Accepts that getting Fulop in is ‘within the rules’

Harry Redknapp suggested clubs ought to have to make do with their existing squads, in the event of a selection crisis in goal, as the controversy over Manchester City’s emergency loan of Marton Fulop rumbled on.

The Tottenham Hotspur manager, whose team are in competition with City for the final Champions League spot, has been quick to stress that the north-west club’s short-term capture of Fulop from Sunderland, in the wake of Shay Given’s shoulder injury, was “not a problem”, as it was within the Premier League’s rules. But Redknapp went on to hypothesise about what he would have done if his first-choice goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, had suffered a serious injury. His second-choice, Carlo Cudicini, remains a long-term casualty.

“If you have got a goalkeeper, I suppose you would use him,” Redknapp said. “If I got an injury here, I would turn to Ben Alnwick and, if he got injured, I would play Jimmy Walker and, if he wasn’t fit, one of the kids would have played. It wouldn’t have entered my mind about bringing in another goalkeeper but, if you are allowed to do it, that’s not a problem with me.”

City, who have Joe Hart on a season-long loan at Birmingham and have been unable to recall him, are also without their second-choice goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, although Redknapp remarked that he had heard that Taylor had returned to training. City were forced to bring on their third choice, Gunnar Nielsen, a 23-year-old Faroe Islands international, last weekend at Arsenal, after Given had been forced off and they said, in their submissions to the Premier League, that their next option was a 16-year-old academy player, Loris Karius.

Redknapp appeared keen, though, not to be seen to be preparing excuses as the battle for fourth place approaches its climax. Tottenham travel to City on Wednesday in what is likely to be a pivotal game, after entertaining Bolton Wanderers tomorrow afternoon. City are at home to Aston Villa, another team in contention for fourth and whose manager, Martin O’Neill, has said that he did not understand why City were allowed to sign Fulop.

Redknapp said City had only themselves to blame. “If you loan a keeper and have a problem, then you should be able to bring him back,” he said. “You have to make sure you have a clause in the contract.

“They probably forgot to put that clause in, it was probably an oversight. They’re saying that if they had the clause in, they would have been OK to have Hart back, [but] a season-long loan, you shouldn’t recall them. What’s to stop me recalling Jamie O’Hara or Alan Hutton? We had a few injuries a couple of weeks ago but you couldn’t do it.”

Fulop, who conceded seven goals on his last appearance in Sunderland’s defeat at Chelsea in January, spent two and a half years as a back-up goalkeeper at Spurs, although he left before Redknapp took over. “The lads here thought he was a good goalkeeper,” Redknapp said. “We’ll see how he goes against Villa. It will be a big test for him.”

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Today’s rumours have done time

The Mill has never been one to point the finger. This is mainly because The Mill doesn’t actually have a finger, just a set of creaking and heavily-stained opposable pistons, which, for modesty’s sake, it usually keeps concealed beneath its floor-length nylon sports gown. The Mill sees itself as a more reflective, cerebral figure. Faced with any kind of tricky-situation situation, The Mill is far more likely to take a deep breath, kick back with the soothing sax sounds of Kenny G, strum a few Eagles tunes on its shiny white plastic-veneer acoustic guitar and settle down for a long evening in its moodily-lit kitchen conservatory accompanied by the motivational CD back catalogue of Dr Raj Persaud.

In this respect The Mill has a great deal in common with TV’s Glenn Hoddle who, according to this morning’s Mirror, is being sensationally lined up by West Ham to replace tearful touchline ewok Gianfranco Zola: “Hammers owners David Sullivan and David Gold have put the former England boss at the top of their wish list for the SoS call if they decide to dump Zola.”

Hoddle is available. He’s already being described as an “‘impact’ appointment”.

Also in The Mirror Tony Pulis is waving a bottle of Jacobs Creek and some petrol station daffs about and offering Jamie O’Hara “a fresh start”. O’Hara could be available for £4m after falling out with Harry Redknapp.

Hamburg midfielder Piotr Trochowski believes he is “not really valued” by coach Bruno Labbadia, who used to play the piano in Fame. Rangers goal-hanger Kris Boyd says he would be a success in the Premier League. Birmingham, Blackburn, Wigan and Hull might be interested. “I’ve confidence in my own ability and believe I’d score goals at the highest level,” he said, implying, very subtly, that doing Kilmarnock four times a season might not actually be “the highest level”.

In the Sun, Loic Remy of Nice is going down the Marouane Chamakh path and “urging” Arsenal to spend £11m on him. “Arsenal are the club I want to join. I won’t deny they are my priority,” he said yesterday, not denying something that only he, Loic Remy of Nice, is actually bringing up in the first place. “I spoke with Thierry about them and asked him lots of questions about life there. I was not disappointed with what he told me,” Remy added, simultaneously putting his hand in a fire because Thierry Henry also told him to do that.

In the manner of Cheryl Cole seeking solace in the arms of that Black Eyed Peas bloke, Alex McLeish is “ready to turn to Kasper Schmeichel” if he fails to sign Joe Hart for another season. Man City are in talks with Grenoble’s Sofiane Feghouli. Valencia are also sniffing about. Palermo want to sign Blackburn wing disappointment Morten Gamst Pedersen, with journeymanaroo Marc Bresciano heading in the other direction. And Neil Warnock has been handed a £10m war chest. The Mill can only hope he doesn’t drop it on his toe or overbalance and accidentally hurl it through his front room window while he’s trying to get his keys out of his pocket.

In the Daily Mail, Franck Ribéry has “delivered a crushing snub to Chelsea“, perhaps with the help of a motorcycle courier who simply grunts at you from beneath his helmet and calls you “boss” in a way that suggests you’re not actually his boss at all. Ribéry says he wants to go to Spain if he ever leaves Germany.

“My wife is from the south, she needs sun. Here it rains and even snows. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t feel good in Munich,” he lied from inside his heavy tog balaclava helmet.

Inter Milan still want Cesc Fábregas and have come up with the idea of offering galloping oddball Mario Balotelli in part exchange. Fábregas’s people have already said no. Inter might just go for Steven Gerrard instead.

José Mourinho wants £10m a year after tax, a set of business cards, an orthopaedic chair and a really big Parmesan cheese in return for managing Real Madrid. Roberto Mancini is “interested in” Palermo striker Edinson Cavani, who might cost as much as £25m. City are also after prancing tight-shirted Roma centre-half Philippe Mexes, but will miss out on Mathieu Flamini, who was really good at left-back for about six months four years ago. Flamini wants to stay at AC Milan. “I’m counting on imposing myself, at this moment I’m in full possession of my abilities,” he said, flexing his neck muscles and adopting a frightening strongman pose.

On Goal.com Paulo Ferreira wants to carry on occasionally appearing in the Carling Cup or minor Premier League home matches until he’s allowed to stop and spend the rest of his life having lunch in semi-rural hotel golf retreats. “I have a deal with Chelsea that runs until 2013 and my idea is to see that out and to then leave football,” he told Maisfutebol, making it sound like he’s doing something really decent and honourable.

Pier Silvio Berlusconi says Milan won’t sign Mario Balotelli. His dad, Silvio Berlusconi previously told a noisy and largely insensible Italian TV station staffed by blousy and glamorous suntanned women: “Balotelli has the face of a Milanista”. And Gigi Buffon’s agent says he’s not for sale. “For once and for all, Buffon is staying at Juventus,” Silvano Martina told Tuttomercatoweb.com, calling Buffon “Buffon” for no other reason than it’s a fun word to say. Buffon has also been linked with Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. But Buffon is happy in Turin. Buffon isn’t going anywhere. Buffon is fine. Buffon.

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