Redknapp keen to keep Adebayor

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says he would love to keep Emmanuel Adebayor after the striker produced another impressive display for Spurs.

Adebayor, a loan signing from Manchester City, has been instrumental in Tottenham’s recovery from a slow start to the Premier League campaign and impressed once again in Saturday’s 2-1 victory away to Wigan Athletic.

The Togolese front man set up Rafael van der Vaart for the visitors’ opener at DW Stadium before Gareth Bale doubled his team’s lead shortly before the half-hour mark.

Mohamed Diame pulled a goal back for the hosts but Redknapp’s men held on to make it three consecutive wins in the English top-flight.

Adebayor failed to find the back of the net for the first time since joining Spurs towards the end of the recent transfer window, but Redknapp claims he wants to sign the forward on a full-time basis, though his wages may prove to be a stumbling block.

When asked if he would like to sign the forward permanently at the end of the season, Redknapp responded: “Yes, if he keeps going like he’s going. I’d love to keep him around, he’s been excellent so far so let’s hope he keeps it up.”

“I don’t know (if it will be possible). We don’t pay his wages and I think that would be the problem. God knows what he earns, I don’t even know what we pay towards his wages, only the chairman would know that. I bet he’s not cheap.”

The victory was Tottenham’s third in a row in the league after wins against Wolves and Liverpool in recent weeks.

Despite a largely positive assessment of the match, Redknapp rued a lapse in concentration which allowed Wigan back into the contest shortly after half-time.

“It was complete domination in first half, we could’ve been three or four up and I said ‘the only way you’re going to give them a way back into the game is if you do something stupid and give them a goal because it will change everything’,” he said.

“We gave a sloppy goal away, tried to take a liberty playing it out of the box and got punished. It changed everything, it gave them a lift, the crowd got behind them from giving them stick and they ran their socks off.”

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez stayed positive in defeat, choosing to focus on the spirited second-half rearguard from his side.

“Second half I think my players deserve huge credit,” Martinez told Sky Sports.

“I’m sure from the outside it is a defeat and nothing more, but for us it is a lot more.”

“It has been a really good reaction and something which can give us a real boost after the second-half performance.”