• Redknapp keen to work again with former Hammers
midfielder
• Spurs manager also keeps an eye on Sébastien Bassong
Joe Cole's chances of starting regularly for
Chelsea have diminished.
Harry Redknapp is exploring the possibility of bringing
Joe Cole to Tottenham
Hotspur, the manager hoping to convince
the Chelsea
midfielder to make the move to further his England hopes in
a World Cup year.
Cole has less than 12 months to run on his contract at Stamford
Bridge and although the club are keen to prolong the agreement and
the player, a boyhood Chelsea fan, is not agitating for a move,
other clubs, chief among them Spurs, have scented an
opportunity.
Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea's manager, intends to play a four-man
diamond midfield this season and has said that Cole could feature
in the most advanced role or in the wider positions, where he has
tended to play under previous regimes. But with Frank Lampard most
likely to start at the tip and with the new signing Yuri Zhirkov as
well as Florent Malouda, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack
providing fierce competition for the wider berths, Cole knows that
his chances of being a regular starter have diminished.
They will lessen even further if Ancelotti completes the signing
of Andrea Pirlo from his former club Milan. Chelsea have opened
talks with the Italian club over the 30-year-old playmaker and it
is understood that figures have been discussed.
Ancelotti also wants two overlapping full-backs to help to
provide width. Cole, an England international who is determined to
play regularly in the run-up to a probable World Cup in South
Africa, is recovering match fitness after suffering a serious knee
injury last season in an FA Cup tie against Southend United.
Redknapp, who has confirmed his interest in the Newcastle
centre-back Sébastien Bassong, is a confirmed admirer of Cole – not
only the talent but also his professionalism and work ethic –
having given the 27-year-old his professional debut as a callow
teenager at West Ham United.
The Spurs manager has made a series of expensive forays into the
transfer market since his arrival, spending around £45m on Wilson
Palacios, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane last January and a further
£9m on Peter Crouch last week. He remains in the market and the
Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is also of interest to
him.
Redknapp has to offload players to help balance the books and
Darren Bent remains likely to move to Sunderland. The North-east
club have also shown an interest in the Tottenham centre-half
Michael Dawson and the midfielder David Bentley who, surprisingly,
did not travel with his team-mates to Asia for a pre-season tour.
Redknapp has already sold Didier Zokora to Sevilla for £8m.
He faces problems in accommodating all his leading players in
the starting line-up and with Defoe and Crouch expected to be
Redknapp's first-choice strike partnership, there has been
conjecture about where the captain Robbie Keane will fit in. The
Spurs manager, who has always liked to work with a large pool of
players, sprang something of a surprise in today's 2-0 friendly
defeat to South China by introducing Keane as a half-time
substitute in central midfield.
"I brought him on as JJ [Jermaine Jenas] had a bit of an injury
and I didn't want to push him too far," said Redknapp. "Robbie came
on and he played in there. He is a good player and he can play
several positions.He is always enthusiastic and he loves to play
wherever he is asked to play."
Bassong was left out of Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Dundee United
today though their interim manager Chris Hughton claimed that this
was because he is suspended for Newcastle's first league match of
the season. The defender is believed to be keen on the switch to
White Hart Lane, if an agreement can be reached between the
clubs.
Spurs have problems in central defence with Dawson and Jonathan
Woodgate set to miss the start of the new season with injuries and
Ledley King yet to kick a ball in pre-season. "He [Bassong] is a
player that I was interested in," said Redknapp. "I like Bassong,
he is a young player with a good future and a good central
defender. I don't think we have made an offer for him, as far as I
know. I am sure the chairman has not made an offer."
Bassong is determined to leave St James' Park, where he earns
£5,000 a week, to play top-division football. Newcastle are likely
to demand about £10m for the 23-year-old Frenchman
