Post by Macmoish on Sept 20, 2011 7:24:37 GMT
Given that we were reportedly interested...
Tottenham's Harry Redknapp regrets loss of Jonathan Woodgate to Stoke
• Woodgate a 'top-class centre-half', says Spurs manager
• Insurance problems forced departure, admits Redknapp
* Sachin Nakrani
Harry Redknapp has expressed his regret over Tottenham Hotspur's decision to release Jonathan Woodgate in the summer, revealing the defender was let go because, after an injury-ravaged, three‑and‑a‑half‑year spell there, Spurs were not prepared to pay the insurance fees required to keep him.
Woodgate revealed over the weekend how he had "felt humiliated" after a Spurs official told him on 4 July, the day the team returned for pre-season training, that because of the size of the necessary insurance premium, which is believed to have stretched to seven figures, he was no longer allowed to even train alongside his team-mates following the expiry of his contract with the club.
"Spurs felt I wouldn't get to the top again," said the 31-year-old, who made 64 appearances after an £8m move from Middlesbrough in January 2008, mainly due to a catalogue of injuries which stemmed from an unstable pelvis.
Three surgeons told Woodgate that he needed a metal plate inserted across the joint, a procedure which would have ended his career.
He ignored the advice and following alternative treatment has been able to resume his career at Stoke City, where he has made five starts this season and could again line up for Tony Pulis's men on Tuesday evening when they face Spurs in the Carling Cup third round.
"There were problems with insurance; he [Woodgate] wasn't insured to train with us," Redknapp said. "It was tough [to let Woodgate go] because I knew that if he could get fit, and he was convinced he could, that we had a top-class centre-half, one of the best in the world. I wanted to keep him but I could understand it from the club's point of view. They had paid his wages for the last two years and he'd hardly played. So it wasn't easy. Full credit to Stoke. They've got him fit and he looks in good shape. He's a fantastic boy, and I just hope it goes great for him now."
Spurs go into the fixture at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday buoyed by their 4-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, a match in which recent arrivals Emmanuel Adebayor and Scott Parker both impressed, in particular the Togo striker who scored his second and third goals for the club since joining on loan from Manchester City.
"He is a great character and has lifted the spirits in the place and on the pitch with what he does," Gareth Bale said. "He can play the ball on the floor, in the air and he scores goals. That's exactly what we needed. The longer he stays the better.
"He [Parker] is a leader, he shows that on the pitch. He is aggressive and plays with his heart on his sleeve and gets us motivated. They are two great signings and there is no doubts in the changing room that we can finish in the top four."
Luka Modric opened the scoring at White Hart Lane at the weekend with a stunning strike from the edge of the area and Redknapp has reiterated his desire to see the Croatia midfielder rewarded with a new contract having been prevented from joining Chelsea during the transfer window. "I'm sure the chairman will sit down and talk to him," Redknapp said. "The speculation is over now, but if he is worth £40m then he has to be paid accordingly. You can't pay him the wages of someone worth £5m. You have to look after the boy and hopefully we'll do that."
Redknapp is set to make a host of changes for the game on Tuesday with Heurelho Gomes, William Gallas, Vedran Corluka, Sébastien Bassong, Rafael van der Vaart and Roman Pavlyuchenko all set to start against Stoke, who could field three recently departed Spurs players in Woodgate, Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/19/tottenham-harry-redknapp-jonathan-woodgate
Tottenham's Harry Redknapp regrets loss of Jonathan Woodgate to Stoke
• Woodgate a 'top-class centre-half', says Spurs manager
• Insurance problems forced departure, admits Redknapp
* Sachin Nakrani
Harry Redknapp has expressed his regret over Tottenham Hotspur's decision to release Jonathan Woodgate in the summer, revealing the defender was let go because, after an injury-ravaged, three‑and‑a‑half‑year spell there, Spurs were not prepared to pay the insurance fees required to keep him.
Woodgate revealed over the weekend how he had "felt humiliated" after a Spurs official told him on 4 July, the day the team returned for pre-season training, that because of the size of the necessary insurance premium, which is believed to have stretched to seven figures, he was no longer allowed to even train alongside his team-mates following the expiry of his contract with the club.
"Spurs felt I wouldn't get to the top again," said the 31-year-old, who made 64 appearances after an £8m move from Middlesbrough in January 2008, mainly due to a catalogue of injuries which stemmed from an unstable pelvis.
Three surgeons told Woodgate that he needed a metal plate inserted across the joint, a procedure which would have ended his career.
He ignored the advice and following alternative treatment has been able to resume his career at Stoke City, where he has made five starts this season and could again line up for Tony Pulis's men on Tuesday evening when they face Spurs in the Carling Cup third round.
"There were problems with insurance; he [Woodgate] wasn't insured to train with us," Redknapp said. "It was tough [to let Woodgate go] because I knew that if he could get fit, and he was convinced he could, that we had a top-class centre-half, one of the best in the world. I wanted to keep him but I could understand it from the club's point of view. They had paid his wages for the last two years and he'd hardly played. So it wasn't easy. Full credit to Stoke. They've got him fit and he looks in good shape. He's a fantastic boy, and I just hope it goes great for him now."
Spurs go into the fixture at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday buoyed by their 4-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, a match in which recent arrivals Emmanuel Adebayor and Scott Parker both impressed, in particular the Togo striker who scored his second and third goals for the club since joining on loan from Manchester City.
"He is a great character and has lifted the spirits in the place and on the pitch with what he does," Gareth Bale said. "He can play the ball on the floor, in the air and he scores goals. That's exactly what we needed. The longer he stays the better.
"He [Parker] is a leader, he shows that on the pitch. He is aggressive and plays with his heart on his sleeve and gets us motivated. They are two great signings and there is no doubts in the changing room that we can finish in the top four."
Luka Modric opened the scoring at White Hart Lane at the weekend with a stunning strike from the edge of the area and Redknapp has reiterated his desire to see the Croatia midfielder rewarded with a new contract having been prevented from joining Chelsea during the transfer window. "I'm sure the chairman will sit down and talk to him," Redknapp said. "The speculation is over now, but if he is worth £40m then he has to be paid accordingly. You can't pay him the wages of someone worth £5m. You have to look after the boy and hopefully we'll do that."
Redknapp is set to make a host of changes for the game on Tuesday with Heurelho Gomes, William Gallas, Vedran Corluka, Sébastien Bassong, Rafael van der Vaart and Roman Pavlyuchenko all set to start against Stoke, who could field three recently departed Spurs players in Woodgate, Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch.
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/19/tottenham-harry-redknapp-jonathan-woodgate
