Top Ten: Harry Redknapp signings
Jonny Abrams
Posted on: 26 November 2009 - 09:27
Football
It’s been a good few days for fans of Tottenham Hotspur, what with the 9-1 win over Wigan Athletic on Sunday, followed by a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in which to bask in what must be one very warm afterglow. Spurs are going good guns under Harry Redknapp’s stewardship and might finally, after all the posturing (and, admittedly, lasagne), be ready to nab themselves a top four finish. So far so good, ‘Arry, and it feels like the right time for Sport.co.uk to sit down, have a good think, and count down our Top Ten Harry Redknapp Signings…
10. Lassana Diarra
The narky Frenchman’s stay at Fratton Park may have been a short one but, in that time, his sterling performances in the midfield holding role helped Pompey to the 2008 FA Cup before earning him a £20m move to Real Madrid. A smart bit of business, even if it couldn’t single-handedly stave off further sales.
9. Wilson Palacios
The Honduran cost £12m last January, but his performances since then suggest that Redknapp did not waste a single penny in bringing him to White Hart Lane. A multi-talented midfielder of his type had made for glaring holes in Spurs midfields for a while but now they look like they’ve got the man to take them up a notch or two.
8. Niko Kranjcar
Redknapp has paid a combined £6m to sign the skilful Croatian midfielder for Portsmouth and then Spurs. His virtuoso performances on the left were a big part of Pompey’s FA Cup win and it will be interesting to see if Redknapp can find a way to accommodate him in the same side as Luka Modric when the latter returns from injury.
7. Jermaine Defoe
A lot more money exchanged hands when Redknapp signed the England striker for the same two clubs respectively, but the expenditures have proved to be no less worthwhile. Scorer of five goals in Sunday’s 9-1 win, Defoe is a cert for Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad and possesses the kind of pace and powerful shooting that would transform any half-decent side into serious European contenders.
6. Sol Campbell
Although the former England centre-back had enjoyed a highly successful spell at Arsenal, many viewed him as damaged goods by the time he joined up with Redknapp at West Ham. Worry? They needn’t have; Campbell captained Pompey to the FA Cup and provided the defensive solidity upon which a top-half Premier League status was built (and, subsequently, dismantled).
5. David James
A £1.2m signing from Manchester City, the England goalkeeper’s impact ran more or less parallel to Campbell’s but exceeds it by virtue of the fact that he remains at the club, even in all its turbulence, to this day. His erstwhile nickname of ‘Calamity James’ has long been outmoded, replaced by a reputation for earning Pompey many a valuable point with his athletic saves and improved command of his penalty box.
4. Arjan de Zeeuw
Following over 100 appearances at Wigan, Redknapp brought the Dutch centre-back to Portsmouth and reaped the benefits: he helped the club to promotion, won the club’s Player of the Year award in their maiden Premier League season and was eventually appointed captain for his rock-solid performances. He eventually returned to Wigan after a spat with Redknapp’s successor (but not successful) Alain Perrin, and was later voted the Latics’ greatest player of all time.
3. Yakubu Aiyegbeni
A hat-trick for Maccabi Haifa against Manchester United in the Champions League was enough to convince Redknapp to bring the Nigerian forward to Fratton Park in 2002, initially on a half-season loan. 7 goals in 13 games precipitated the agreement of a permanent move which proved highly productive; the man known fondly as ‘the Yak’ helped Pompey to promotion to the Premier League, where his continued feats of goalscoring eventually earned him a £7m move to Middlesbrough, and then an £11m move to Everton. Scored the goal – in a 1-1 draw against Bolton – that ensured Pompey’s survival in the penultimate game of the 2004/05 season.
2. John Hartson
Redknapp’s West Ham looked set for a grim battle against the drop when they signed forwards Paul Kitson and John Hartson in 1997, but the goals plundered by the multi-million pound duo kept the Hammers up with room to spare. It was Welshman Hartson, a £5m signing from Arsenal, whose impact extended beyond these initial dire straits and, 33 goals in 73 appearances later, he joined Wimbledon for the then considerable sum of £7.5m. He started the 1997/98 season in blistering form, scoring 19 goals by the turn of the year and reportedly attracting interest from Italian giants Juventus.
1. Paulo Di Canio
The Italian’s four-year spell at Upton Park was a gift for West Ham fans, so enthralled were they by his virtuoso performances and eccentric character. He signed in January 1999 for just £1.7m from Sheffield Wednesday and helped the Hammers to a 5th-place finish, which qualified them for the following season’s FA Cup. His volley against Wimbledon the following year was named BBC Goal of the Season. For ever Marco Boogers…
Honourable Mentions:
Slaven Bilic
Redknapp bought the unknown Croatian centre-back for £1.3m from Karlsruhe in 1996 and, a string of great performances later, sold him to Everton for a then record fee for a defender of £4.5m. Going by how little the Toffees got out of Bilic, Redknapp sold at just the right time.
Sylvain Distin
Brought in for nothing after the French centre-back ran out his contract at Manchester City, and sold to Everton for £5m in the summer having won the FA Cup at and captained the club. Probably deserves to be in the top ten, thinking on.
Nwankwo Kanu
The Nigerian frontman was hardly a dominant force at Fratton Park, but he cost little and scored several vital goals, including the winners in both the semi-final and final of the club’s 2008 FA Cup run.
Hugo Porfirio
The Portuguese midfield wizard was a very astute loan signing for West Ham back in 1996, delighting Hammers fans with his silky skills and at least one superbly chipped goal from long range.
Freddie Kanoute…Nigel Winterburn…Sulley Muntari…Trevor Sinclair…Tony Cottee…Eyal Berkovic…Shaka Hislop…Pedro Mendes…they were good signings too, they were…