Can Harry Redknapp take Tottenham Hotspur forward?
Since Harry Redknapp’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur, they have drastically grown as a club, but are they now ready for a big named foreign manager to succeed the former Portsmouth boss, or is Redknapp still the right man for the job?
When Redknapp took over at White Hart Lane in 2008, they sat bottom of the table with just 2 points out of 8 games. This disappointing start resulted in Spanish manager Juande Ramos being sacked by the club. Harry then led the club to 10 points in 4 games taking them off the bottom of the table; this included an emphatic 4-4 draw with North London rivals Arsenal. Following this, in January he brought back former favourites Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane, whilst also bringing in Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios. In his first season at the Lane, Spurs finished an impressive eighth place.
Since then Spurs have experienced the joys of Champions League football following their fourth place finish in the 2009-10 season, however like Redknapp, the squad consisted of players with very little Champions League experience. After a surprising impressive run leading them to the quarter finals, this then resulted in disastrous fashion when Spurs crashed out to Spanish giants Real Madrid 5-0 on aggregate. The 2010-2011 season finished heartbreakingly for the Yids as they missed out on a second year in Europe’s elite competition to Manchester City.
Now, in the 2011-2012 season, Spurs had a shaky start to the season, including a 5-1 thumping by Manchester City at home. However following the signings of Emmanuel Adebayor and Scott Parker, they have seen a very much improved side who beat local rivals Arsenal 2-1 and have now been touted the best team in North London, resulting in Redknapp picking up the September manager of the Month award.
Harry Redknapp is well known for bringing in impressive signings, since being at Spurs he has signed a high amount of players and even managed to bring Dutch star Rafael Van Der Vaart from Real Madrid, who was regarded as one of the best summer signings last season. But despite this, Redknapp has struggled to bring in many other big named players from both overseas and within the Premier League. This has resulted in the likes of Luka Modric eager to leave the club for Chelsea. If Spurs were to bring in a new big named manager, for example Fabio Capello once his England contract runs out. This would attract world known players as they would regard Tottenham as a bigger club with a big manager.
Daniel Levy has made no secret about his backing of Harry Redknapp, and the fans have grown a passion for the 64-year-old. Although in recent times it has been revealed that Redknapp may consider the England job once Capello’s time is up, which could be the right time for Levy to bring in a well-known foreign manager.
