Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp has revealed he
tried to sign Gareth Barry but was 'blown out of the water by
Manchester City'.
England international Barry parted company with Aston Villa on
Tuesday after the Midlands club accepted a £12million bid from
affluent City.
Spurs, though, were also keen on the midfielder while Redknapp
has also claimed Liverpool, who tracked Barry last summer, were
interested in a renewed bid.
But the duo struggled to compete with City's financial muscle
and Redknapp has admitted to his frustration at losing out to
Tottenham's Premier League counterparts.
He told The Sun: "This week, I tried to sign Gareth Barry.
I felt he would be a good addition for Spurs and I knew we had to
make a decent offer for a top England player.
"Liverpool
were also prepared to make a big offer. But we have
both been blown out of the water by Manchester City.
"They offered a far bigger transfer fee and are giving the lad
much bigger wages. We could not get near.
"It's certainly not Gareth's fault that he is being given such a
massive contract.
"But I believe the game could do one thing. I don't see wages or
transfer fees going down but English football could start putting
something back into the community.
"I'd like to see every
manager and every player in the Premier League make a donation to
charity from their monthly pay packets."
Redknapp went on to criticise the increasing
wages in the Premier League, questioning the morality of such
figures in the current climate.
He said: "While I benefit
from a good wage, I'm embarrassed about it, to be honest. A lot of
people in football are embarrassed.
"I never thought it would get this out of hand. The sums we are
now talking to get good players are really, really crazy.
"To hear that Chelsea and
Real Madrid are prepared to pay £50million, £60m or even £70m for
Kaka is just mental.
"Kaka is a fantastic player and I would obviously love him in my
team at White Hart Lane. The fact a pro footballer could be earning
£200,000 a week is plain ridiculous."
