Filed under: Tottenham, Premier League, Football
West Ham's relegation from the Premier League is expected to lead to an exodus of players from the club but they are not the only London side offloading talent.Not far away, at rivals Tottenham, Harry Redknapp is trying to keep his senior squad members but trim numbers elsewhere. Getting the balance right will go some way to determine their chances of a top-four place next season.
"There is nothing happening in the transfer market,'' Redknapp said. "I need to sell four or five players to bring in funds.
"The chairman has made it clear we need to move a few players before we can start doing any business. I keep seeing us linked with this player and that, but unless we reduce our squad numbers we will stay quiet in the market."
There has not been much transfer activity so far, with veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel arriving on a free transfer and Jonathan Woodgate released after two years of injury trouble.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been guilty of leaving deals until it is too late - he was going to sign Charlie Adam from Blackpool in January but could not get the paperwork done in time - but cannot afford a repeat this time around.
They also dithered over a deal for Everton's Phil Neville in the last window, so Levy needs to learn those lessons and move swiftly.
It may need taking a financial hit on the players Redknapp wants to sell.
Giovani dos Santos has made little impact during his time at White Hart Lane, and has attracted interest from Spanish club Sevilla following a loan at Racing Santander, yet a £7 million fee is a stumbling block.
Redknapp has said David Bentley and Niko Kranjcar want to move, Robbie Keane needs regular football and Wilson Palacios has been linked with Napoli and Paris St Germain.
Levy has a reputation of being a tough negotiator and the challenge now is to recoup as much of the fees paid for the players as possible. That may take time but Spurs cannot let the process drag on too much.
Of course, their plan involves keeping key players at the club. Redknapp and Levy have both insisted Gareth Bale and Luka Modric are not for sale.
Former manager Martin Jol, now at Fulham, believes keeping Modric is the key to Spurs' hopes.
"People always say if you sell Michael Carrick or Dimitar Berbatov, that you are a selling club," said the Dutchman. "In Holland, it is a complement, but in England it isnt.
"If they can keep Modric, it would be a big difference and give a good start if they want to be champions or in the top four."
With players needed to be offloaded, rival club will obviously look to seize their opportunity, and there would be takers for regular players such as Benoit Assou-Ekotto or Sandro.
Aaron Lennon is reportedly a target for Liverpool, although selling the winger would contradict Redknapp's stance on refusing to sell his top players.
Lennon is a regular when he is fit, is one of the fastest wingers in the top-flight and will probably add to his 19 England caps when Fabio Capello leaves as manager, if not before.
Selling him to a top-four rival would be a mistake. It is the same reason why Manchester City did not want to sell Craig Bellamy to Spurs. And it is the kind of decision Spurs need to get right, and make sure nothing is left to the last minute again.
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