Post by QPR Report on Aug 19, 2009 6:37:45 GMT
The Guardian
'Agents do the tapping up, not managers,' claims Harry Redknapp• Tottenham manager speaks out over illegal approaches
• Spurs 'not interested' in Portsmouth goalkeeper David James
Jamie Jackson
Harry Redknapp has questioned the rule forbidding a Premier League club making an approach to a contracted player by claiming that "every club lets a player know they are interested". The Tottenham Hotspur manager added that footballers' agents ensure there is contact between their clients and prospective buyers.
While discussing whether the "tapping up" rule should be removed, Redknapp was asked if there was any point in it and said: "No, not really. Every club lets a player know that they're interested and anyone who says they don't is telling lies, it's absolute rubbish. It's not a case of tapping a player up, it's a case of the agent ringing up and asking if you're interested."
The Spurs manager was asked about the comments by Portsmouth's chief executive, Peter Storrie, who, it was reported, had claimed over the weekend that "all managers tap players up".
Storrie also added that Portsmouth were unhappy about Peter Crouch's £9m transfer to Spurs, saying: "We managed to do a deal after a lot of threats of reporting them," after the White Hart Lane club had initially offered £6m.
But, speaking ahead of Spurs' match at Hull City tomorrow, Redknapp said: "He [Storrie] rang me on Sunday and he said he never said it. It's like everything – we had a deal for Darren Bent with Stoke for £15m but Darren wanted to go to Sunderland, so what can you do? We were willing to pay £10m for Peter and Sunderland were willing to pay £12m, but Peter didn't want to go to Sunderland. It happens in every transfer.
"There was no tapping up or anything else. They've [players] all got agents, the agents talk to the people at the football club and he ended up going to Tottenham.
"I don't care who the clubs involved are, nobody can tell me that a player doesn't know which club wants him. They all have agents who ring up the club and say: 'Are you interested in my player?' and you say whether you like him.
"That's how it is and it's the same with every club. Agents are the go-betweens between the clubs. The message gets back to the player that the club is interested and then he makes up his mind where he wants to go. It happened with Darren Bent. How did he know that Sunderland were interested in him? Somebody, either his agent or whoever, has told him. You just have to accept it."
Redknapp also said he was not interested in the Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, and that there were no truth in reports linking Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley with Aston Villa.
"I've never heard from Martin [O'Neill, Villa's manager]. It's probably an agent trying to make money out of a move. JJ is injured at the moment, but he's a good lad and a great player. They're part of my plans. It's no good saying people will never go – if people offer crazy money that changes. Manchester United and Liverpool got offers they couldn't refuse for players. You never say never, but we're not looking to sell
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/aug/18/harry-redknapp-tapping-up-premier-league-transfers
'Agents do the tapping up, not managers,' claims Harry Redknapp• Tottenham manager speaks out over illegal approaches
• Spurs 'not interested' in Portsmouth goalkeeper David James
Jamie Jackson
Harry Redknapp has questioned the rule forbidding a Premier League club making an approach to a contracted player by claiming that "every club lets a player know they are interested". The Tottenham Hotspur manager added that footballers' agents ensure there is contact between their clients and prospective buyers.
While discussing whether the "tapping up" rule should be removed, Redknapp was asked if there was any point in it and said: "No, not really. Every club lets a player know that they're interested and anyone who says they don't is telling lies, it's absolute rubbish. It's not a case of tapping a player up, it's a case of the agent ringing up and asking if you're interested."
The Spurs manager was asked about the comments by Portsmouth's chief executive, Peter Storrie, who, it was reported, had claimed over the weekend that "all managers tap players up".
Storrie also added that Portsmouth were unhappy about Peter Crouch's £9m transfer to Spurs, saying: "We managed to do a deal after a lot of threats of reporting them," after the White Hart Lane club had initially offered £6m.
But, speaking ahead of Spurs' match at Hull City tomorrow, Redknapp said: "He [Storrie] rang me on Sunday and he said he never said it. It's like everything – we had a deal for Darren Bent with Stoke for £15m but Darren wanted to go to Sunderland, so what can you do? We were willing to pay £10m for Peter and Sunderland were willing to pay £12m, but Peter didn't want to go to Sunderland. It happens in every transfer.
"There was no tapping up or anything else. They've [players] all got agents, the agents talk to the people at the football club and he ended up going to Tottenham.
"I don't care who the clubs involved are, nobody can tell me that a player doesn't know which club wants him. They all have agents who ring up the club and say: 'Are you interested in my player?' and you say whether you like him.
"That's how it is and it's the same with every club. Agents are the go-betweens between the clubs. The message gets back to the player that the club is interested and then he makes up his mind where he wants to go. It happened with Darren Bent. How did he know that Sunderland were interested in him? Somebody, either his agent or whoever, has told him. You just have to accept it."
Redknapp also said he was not interested in the Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, and that there were no truth in reports linking Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley with Aston Villa.
"I've never heard from Martin [O'Neill, Villa's manager]. It's probably an agent trying to make money out of a move. JJ is injured at the moment, but he's a good lad and a great player. They're part of my plans. It's no good saying people will never go – if people offer crazy money that changes. Manchester United and Liverpool got offers they couldn't refuse for players. You never say never, but we're not looking to sell
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/aug/18/harry-redknapp-tapping-up-premier-league-transfers