Heading for the exit? Tottenham manager Harry
Redknapp
Harry Redknapp is close to parting company
with Tottenham and could leave before the end of the
month.
The position of the manager, who again guided Spurs to
fourth place in the Premier League, is becoming increasingly
uncertain as problems relating to a new contract come to a
head.
Redknapp has only a year left on his current deal and
wants a longer-term commitment, but he has been left uneasy by the
club’s reluctance to offer it.
Instead of preparing to lead his country out against
France tomorrow, as most expected Redknapp would two months ago, he
will watch from the sidelines and is thought to be open to the idea
of a pay-off from Tottenham.
Redknapp, despite public denials, has an uneasy
relationship with his club chairman Daniel Levy. That has come
about partly as a result of the manager being heavily linked with
the England job.
Redknapp said: ‘I have a year left on my contract. I’ll
sit down with Daniel when the time is right.’
Redknapp was unhappy that the club appeared to put an
unrealistic £10million compensation price on his head in case the
FA made an approach.
Spurs’ failure to renew Redknapp’s contract after the
appointment of Roy Hodgson as England boss then led him to
fear his position was not as secure as he had thought. That brought
an escalation in the tension between him and the club and the
situation will have to be resolved before the start of next season
at the latest.
With regard to the England job Redknapp added: ‘I was
never approached. I would have taken it, though.’
High point: Redknapp guided Spurs to a Champions League
quarter-final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in 2011
Spurs fans must be perplexed about the situation
as the man responsible for taking the team from Premier League
relegation trouble into the Champions League quarter-finals and the
top four in England are on the brink of
splitting.
The club only missed out on next’s season premier European
club competition because of Chelsea’s success in winning the
trophy.
If Redknapp leaves, he could find a lucrative escape route
in the Middle East. The former West Ham and Portsmouth boss was
targeted by Dubai-based outfit Al Ahli two years ago and the more
fashionable Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira, owned by Manchester City
supremo Sheik Mansour, are currently without a manager.
