Harry Redknapp has been officially confirmed as the new manager of Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur following the sacking of Juande Ramos on Saturday night.
Spurs, who sit bottom of the English top flight, have agreed a compensation package of around £5 million (US$7.9 million) with Portsmouth to bring in Redknapp immediately.
Ramos left the club after Spurs’ worst-ever start to the season which has left them anchored to the bottom of the league, the club announced late on Saturday.
Redknapp — who was in charge at Portsmouth — was confirmed as the new man in charge at White Hart Lane after Portsmouth had “reluctantly” agreed to talks.
It has led to a return to London for the former West Ham United boss, and although facing a huge challenge, Redknapp believes his move will be best for the long-term future of both clubs.
“I suddenly got a phone call and was told Tottenham were interested in me and I thought it was a wind-up at first,” Redknapp said.
“Then when I had spoken to them, I decided it was a good move for everybody, for Portsmouth as well in the long term and they have a terrific compensation deal when things were a bit tight,” Redknapp said. “I just thought maybe it was time to move on and Tottenham are a big, big club. I thought: ‘Let’s just give it a go before it is too late.’ I could have gone to Newcastle, but did not take it and a lot of people said: ‘He does not have any ambition,’ so this is a good chance for me. It is a tough job, they are bottom of the league, so let’s see what we can do.”
Despite winning the League Cup in February, Spurs have taken just two points from eight games.
Their UEFA Cup group campaign also got off to a poor start on Thursday when they were beaten 2-0 at Udinese amid reports that dressing room confidence has hit rock-bottom.
Ramos, who won the UEFA Cup with Sevilla, had only been in the job for a year. The team’s recent performances have been criticized by players Jonathan Woodgate and David Bentley.
“We aren’t too good to go down — believe me,” Woodgate said.
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