Redknapp denies interest in Cole

(GSM) – Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says there is no place for Joe Cole at White Hart Lane. Redknapp claims he already has players of Cole’s stature in his team.

Cole’s Chelsea future is in doubt after he revealed that contract talks have broken down. But Redknapp, who brought Cole through the ranks at West Ham, has denied his interest in the 27-year-old.

“He is a terrific player but I have a lot of terrific players here,” said Redknapp. “When you look at Luka, Niko, Aaron Lennon, David Bentley, I am not short really.

“When you talk about signings of the year, Niko never gets a mention. He has to be right up there.

“What a fantastic signing he has been for us. I paid £2.5million when I signed him for Portsmouth and the same when he came here.

“When I first saw Niko play I thought that he was a terrific technical player. He has been top class since we brought him here.”

Tottenham are to sign Brazilian international Sandro in the summer and would also like to extend Eidur Gudjohnsen’s stay at the club beyond his current loan deal which runs out at the end of the season.

“He is a terrific footballer and a good lad as well. We will have a chat with Eidur before the end of the season,” said Redknapp. “I think he has enjoyed it here. He has got his appetite back.”

Gudjohnsen is set to start in the FA Cup quarter-final replay against Fulham alongside Peter Crouch after Roman Pavlyuchenko injured his hamstring at Stoke.

“If Pav is struggling we need goals and we are looking for Eidur, Crouchy and Niko or Luka to weigh in,” Redknapp added.

“Hopefully someone will step up to the plate and score the goals.”

Redknapp knows just how tough a challenge Spurs will face on Wednesday night, having been at Craven Cottage when Fulham made a historic comeback to beat Juventus 4-1 and oust the Italian giants from the Europa League. And the Spurs manager was full of praise for his counterpart, Roy Hodgson.

“I was fortunate enough to be there. It was one of the great European performances of all time,” he said.

“It was a fantastic night, a great atmosphere and a great performance from Fulham.

“The players watched it at home and the next day they were talking about it. We have so much respect for Fulham. This is one of the toughest games we could pick.

“Roy Hodgson has done a terrific job. He is a terrific guy who knows the game inside out and he has been a terrific signing for Fulham.

“He has built a very good team there and it will be mighty tough for us.”