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INT Tottenham Hotspur

Redknapp rubbishes Woodgate rumours

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has rubbished reports that defender Jonathan Woodgate will be joining arch-rivals Arsenal.

Reports last week suggested Arsene Wenger was considering a move for the injury-prone centre-half, but Redknapp insisted the England international is going nowhere.

"Is he going to Arsenal? No, not a chance. We wouldn't let him go to Arsenal," Redknapp said in the Telegraph, before joking: "I think they are after taking Sol Campbell back again."

Woodgate made his long-anticipated return to action in a training-ground friendly last week, and although the 31-year-old is out of contract in the summer, Redknapp has no intention of letting the former Real Madrid defender go.

"We want to keep him," he said. "He's out of contract in the summer, so if we let him out on loan then we're giving him away, unless he signs a contract before he goes. And you couldn't do that at the moment if he breaks down again.

"He needs to stay here. I love Jonathan, but it would have to be loaded as a pay-as-you-play deal. You can't have a boy who doesn't play all year and keep paying his wages."
 
Spurs could leave out Keane

Robbie Keane could be excluded from Tottenham Hotspur's updated squad of 25 players for the Premier League, which is to be submitted on February 1 after the transfer window has closed, if he is not transferred this month.

Keane was part of the squad for the first part of the season, but Spurs were one of the few clubs to name a full list of 25 players with the injured Jonathan Woodgate and goalkeeper Ben Alnwick left out.

Woodgate, who is available for loan, is fit again while Spurs have already added Steven Pienaar and South African international Bongani Khumalo to their squad which means manager Harry Redknapp will be forced to leave other players out of his official squad list.

If Keane cannot agree a move away from White Hart Lane - a transfer to Birmingham City collapsed - then he could be left out in the cold. West Ham are making one final attempt to sign the striker before the transfer window closes.

Any player aged over 21 outside the 25 can only play in the FA Cup, or in the Champions League if they are named in that squad. It means Spurs may have to loan him out as Monday's 2300 GMT deadline approaches after Keane insisted he would only leave on a permanent transfer.

A well placed source told ESPNsoccernet: "It is quite possible that Harry Redknapp won't even have room in their 25 for Robbie Keane. If that is the case, Spurs might want to sell the player rather than loan him out, but they won't want a player on his salary, not even in their squad."

West Ham, though, are still willing to try a last minute bid to take Keane across London to Upton Park.

The Hammers have offered a £1 million loan fee and are prepared to pick up the player's £65,000-a-week wages - but the problem is Spurs' demands for the Hammers to commit to a full transfer.

Tottenham want their London rivals to pay £6 million if West Ham stay up, though that is not the sticking point. West Ham believe that Keane must play a certain percentage of the remaining games to prove his worth to the Hammers' survival bid.

West Ham are hoping that the delay in the decision-making process for the Olympic site might take the heat out of their negotiations to bring Keane to Upton Park. But in the absence of a straight cash sale, Redknapp might relent and allow Keane to move out on loan.
 
Redknapp: Peter Crouch not for sale

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has ruled out the prospect of offloading striker Peter Crouch in the January transfer window.

Spurs have won many admirers with their brand of attacking football but their title challenge has stalled in recent weeks and Redknapp is believed to be eyeing new faces to put some impetus back into the squad and bolster their place in the top four.

But he is aware that before he can bring in fresh blood he must trim his playing staff and the forward line has particularly come under the spotlight. The Spurs chief is struggling to find a buyer for Robbie Keane, prompting talk that Crouch could be ushered out of the door.

Crouch has shared the forward duties alongside Rafael van der Vaart with Jermain Defoe and Redknapp feels the giant striker is too valuable to lose.

Sunderland are rumoured to be eyeing Crouch as a replacemet for Darren Bent, but Redknapp said: "I'm especially not looking to sell Crouch. He gives us a different option and I'm a big fan of his."

Redknapp is fielding enquiries for a number of his players and The Sun claims that Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has asked about Jermaine Jenas after seeing his approach for Blackpool's Charlie Adam knocked back.
 
Bassong pledges future to Tottenham

Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong says he is committed to staying at Spurs to fight for his place, following talks with manager Harry Redknapp.

Bassong, 24, was a regular for Spurs last season - playing 39 games for the club in all competitions - but has fallen out of favour in the current campaign.

He has made just four Premier League starts, with Redknapp preferring to play William Gallas and Michael Dawson at the heart of his defence, with Younes Kaboul the first-choice back-up.

The former Newcastle and Metz defender had been heavily linked with a move to PSG, but Bassong is keen to stay and prove his worth at White Hart Lane after talking to Redknapp.

"We both spoke," Bassong told Le Figaro. "I said to him [Redknapp] what I thought, how I saw the things and he gave me answers."

"When you do not speak with your coach, it is hard to know what he thinks. Things were said. Today, I am quite glad to have had this discussion. I will remain in Tottenham. I belong to Spurs."
 
Redknapp happy to keep Kranjcar

Tottenham have received an offer from Werder Bremen for Niko Kranjcar but manager Harry Redknapp wants the Croatian to stay at White Hart Lane.

Kranjcar has had limited first-team opportunities this year and his future at the club was thrown into further doubt with the signing of Steven Pienaar from Everton.

Redknapp revealed last week that Kranjcar had his heart set on leaving the club and admitted today that Bremen had lodged a bid for the 26-year-old, but doubts that he will leave the club.

"There is a German club (Bremen) that have come in for him. They have offered good money for him but I'm not keen to lose Niko,'' Redknapp said. "He is a good player, a fantastic player.

"I don't think he wants to go to Germany and play. I don't think he feels that's an option for him. If that's the case then he will stay here and that's great for us as well.''

Redknapp denied that Everton, who have been linked with the midfielder, have also made a bid. With his team fighting for honours on three fronts this season, Redknapp hopes the man he signed from Portsmouth in 2009 will play a key role in the remainder of the campaign.

"We have a lot of games coming up. We are going to need a squad," Redknapp said. "There's talk that the Sunderland game that we have coming up could be an evening kick-off on a Saturday and then Tuesday we play AC Milan away, then we have them at home.

"These games are going to be coming thick and fast. We have a rearranged game with Blackpool to play on a Wednesday night. It's going to be Saturday, midweek, Saturday, midweek. Niko is going to be an important player for us.''

Fulham boss Mark Hughes has denied Fulham are hoping to recruit Kranjcar. The Cottagers had reportedly turned their attention to Kranjcar following the collapse of their attempt to sign Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips but Hughes has denied the claims.

"We're not interested in Niko," Hughes said. "We've got a lot of midfield players and he's not a priority for us,'' he said. We've expressed an interest in Shaun. It's slowed and I'm not too hopeful. We tried to make it happen but for a number of reasons it seems to be less likely as the window closes.''

Hughes also stated that Paul Konchesky is unlikely to return to Craven Cottage this month after joining Liverpool last summer.

"There was interest and discussion was mooted, but that's not likely to progress in this window,'' he said. "It's something we may revisit but it won't happen this month.''
 
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