One club man: David Beckham vowed never to play for
another English club after leaving Manchester United, but now looks
on the verge of joining Spurs
David Beckham could make his astonishing return to
English football against Manchester United, the club where he made his
name.
When Beckham left Old Trafford
seven and a half years ago, he vowed never to play for another club
in the Premier League. But Beckham's return to the English game has
edged closer after Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp
revealed: 'David has let me know that he'd like to come
here.'
And to deepen the massive interest that would surround
Beckham's reintroduction to the Premier League, his Spurs debut in
the competition could be made in a fortnight when United meet
Tottenham at White Hart Lane in a game that will have a bearing on
the title race.
On Saturday night Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was seeking
agreement with Beckham's American club, LA Galaxy, to secure the
midfielder's services until the end of March.
Redknapp said: 'There is no time frame but, clearly, we'd
want David here as soon as possible to get the most out of him.
People at the club are talking to representatives of LA
Galaxy.'
Beckham, the 35-year-old former England captain - and
arguably the best-known player in the world - grew up just a few
miles away from White Hart Lane in Leytonstone. As a boy, he played
for Spurs but he was lured to Old Trafford by Manchester United
manager Sir Alex Ferguson after he had been recommended by Sir
Bobby Charlton.
Now Redknapp's passion for the game and his own East
London roots have proved persuasive in the scramble for Beckham's
signature on a three-month loan. For the previous two years,
Beckham has spent the close season of America's Major League Soccer
with AC Milan.
'David could fulfil an important role for us,' said
Redknapp after Spurs' 1-0 victory over Fulham 1-0 moved them to
fourth place in the League. 'I only have Aaron Lennon who can play
on the wide right because David Bentley keeps picking up injuries
on Friday mornings.
'If we'd had Beckham today, he could have come off the
bench and kept the ball when we came under pressure.'
Redknapp is a master at drawing the best from players in
the autumn of their careers, having revived Portsmouth's fortunes
by signing men such as Teddy Sheringham, Paul Merson and David
James.
'At Portsmouth, I used to tell the others to watch Teddy
train. He had pride in everything he did and always gave 100 per
cent,' said Redknapp. 'David's like that. If you have someone like
him around a club, it's better than all the training in the world.
It's a no-brainer to want him, even if it's only for three
months.'
After he left United, Beckham enhanced his reputation with
Real Madrid before he signed for LA Galaxy in a deal estimated to
be worth $120million. Yet Redknapp is dismissive of those who claim
Beckham's signature would be motivated by money.
'It's not a commercial thing, because I'm not interested
in selling shirts,' he said. 'And if David came here, he would be
doing so for one reason: to play football at a high level. He
doesn't need the money, that's for sure.
United legend: Beckham left the club in 2003 after
experiencing huge success
'He could sit around a swimming pool in LA for the
next three months, but it tells you all you need to know about him
that he would rather play football.
'He's a fantastic professional, a great role model, a
class act. He would be great around the dressing room, a brilliant
influence on all the players.'
Beckham is believed to command a basic salary of £80,000 a
week from LA Galaxy, a figure that would not be prohibitive for
Tottenham. More crucially, he admires the football Spurs are
playing under Redknapp.
Earlier this year, Beckham ruptured an achilles tendon
playing for AC Milan, which meant he was unavailable to LA Galaxy
at their start of their season in the spring. That has made the
American club nervous about allowing him to come to London on
loan.
But Beckham will argue that the benefits of him acquiring
maximum fitness in the hardest league in the world is a risk LA
Galaxy should be prepared to take. Redknapp said: 'We still don't
know if Galaxy will let him come.'
Even though Redknapp has created the best Tottenham squad
of modern times, he is also actively seeking to make
further improvements to the playing staff during this month's
transfer window.
He is willing to sell Bentley and Robbie Keane to raise
funds, but Tottenham's board back Redknapp's effort to breach the
elite of the English game and have a war-chest of around £40m at
his disposal.