Harry Redknapp made his first signing as Tottenham manager today by bringing Jermain Defoe back to White Hart Lane from Portsmouth for a fee of around £15M.
Spurs won't have to meet Portsmouth's asking price as Pompey still owe Tottenham £10m resulting from them signing Sean Davis, Pedro Mendes, Younes Kaboul, and Defoe from the White Hart Lane outfit.
Financially the deal is a good fit for both clubs. Spurs gain a player of international standard as they continue their fight on three cup fronts and their relegation battle, while Portsmouth have had a large debt wiped clear while adding £5m to their threadbare coffers.
Redknapp had met Portsmouth chairman Peter Storrie for a business lunch last week, where the Defoe deal was discussed for the first time, and although both clubs denied a deal had been made it would seem that Defoe going sick from training on Monday forced the deal through.
In an ironic twist, Spurs may have also tried to sign Sylvian Distin, Nico Krancjar, and Peter Crouch in a move that was similar to Redknapp raiding White Hart Lane a couple of seasons ago as at the time Portsmouth were battling against relegation.
Redknapp also confimed that Spurs are in negotiations with Stephen Appiah about the ex-Ghana captain joining Spurs. The Spurs boss tried to sign Appiah two seasons ago but Juventus were holding out for £14m, so Redknapp signed his Ghanaian teammate Sulley Muntari instead.
However, Appiah is now available as a free transfer after being released by Fenerbahce in August after a long-term knee injury. The ex-Juve, Brescia, and Parma player has been negotiating a release fee with the Turkish side since, and Redknapp now feels he could add some much needed steel to the Spurs midfield, as he feels the worst of his injuries are behind him.
Another player who appears to be making his way to North London in one way or another is Steve Finnan. The ex-Liverpool player moved to Espanyol for £2m in the summer but he has failed to settle in Barcelona and he has instructed his agent to find a team in the Premiership as the Catalan side are willing to let him go for £1.5m.
Enter Tottenham and Arsenal as his main suitors. Both clubs are in need of cover at the back and have earmarked Finnan as a short term stop-gap.
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