'I'd Take It': Ex Tottenham manager forced to address links when cornered at Cheltenham Festival
Spurs have been linked with former manager Harry Redknapp, should Igor Tudor be removed from his interim post.
Ex Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has responded to rumours that he could become an emergency appointment at the club should form not improve under Igor Tudor.
Spurs brought the Croatian in on an interim basis following the sacking of Thomas Frank but the new head coach has lost his first four matches in charge against Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Atletico Madrid.
That awful start to life in North London has led to reports that Tudor could be given his marching orders before the end of the campaign. In freefall, Spurs would then turn to another last-gasp appointment to save their campaign.
Several names have been touted and one of those is 79-year-old Redknapp. The veteran has not worked in the dugout since a brief stint at Birmingham City in 2017, but admitted that he’d certainly be up for a return to Tottenham.
Redknapp has been enjoying the horse racing at Cheltenham Festival and was quizzed by ITV Sport at the event. The former Spurs manager admitted that he had not yet been contacted by the club but was staunch in his desire to return.
Harry Redknapp open to Tottenham Hotspur return
He said: “I’m not saying I wouldn’t take it, I certainly would. I doubt very much if it’ll happen.
“I’d love the opportunity, I’d go in and have a crack at it. It’s a big challenge. Do I need the pressure at this stage of my life? Why not. I’d give it a go. I’m not too old and feel as fit as a fiddle. If they ask me, I think I could go there and do the job for sure. Of course I would! Absolutely, I’d take it.”
Redknapp went on to joke that his first act would be to sign club legends Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch to lead the survival fight. The former Portsmouth boss saved Spurs from relegation during the 2008/09 campaign, taking over in October with the side bottom of the league.
Tudor does not believe that he will be sacked by Tottenham, despite recent results. After the defeat to Atletico Madrid, he said: “You know, I do every day this work. Psychology work. It is important also to give the courage to the teammates. Some of them they cannot manage, for sure. Somewhere you arrive and you can help them. My goal is to find if I can help to do 18 players out of 20, 15? I don't know how much? Sometimes you cannot do anything, but most of the time you can do even small changes.
“Small help, you know, you can do it, but also it's what I always like to say to the players, don't be a victim. Don't think it's not about me. You know that can be the problem more than all these things about Tottenham and club, you know, like magic on the club, like bad black magic and this other bullsh**, you know. So this is about what I want to send a message.”
In other news, Simulation predicts how West Ham, Tottenham, Forest and Leeds relegation picture will look after this week.