Redknapp seeking Arsenal swagger with Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is desperate to bring in more flair players as he looks to begin playing with the stylish swagger so often associated with arch-rivals Arsenal.
Spurs lost at struggling West Ham on Saturday as last season’s fourth-placed Premier League team could not overcome an injury crisis in a 1-0 defeat.
Nonetheless, Redknapp was delighted with new signing Rafael van der Vaart and hopes that he can bring in similar players to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window.
“I'd like to get another couple of flair players for the side to go with the likes of him [Van der Vaart] and Luka Modric. You don't give the ball away when you've got players like that,” Redknapp said in The Times.
“You look at Arsenal; they're all popping the ball around to each other. If people want the ball, you've got a chance because they tend not to give the ball away.
“I'd much rather play that way, to be honest with you, than have people in there who are hammer-throwers, and keep passing the ball to the other team and then tackling people to get it back again. I'd rather go the other way.”
Redknapp will hope that his existing flair players click against Twente in the Champions League on Wednesday as he plans to go on the offensive to cope with his defensive problems. Tottenham are expected to be without five senior centre-backs.
“We have to go for it. Winning the game is all important and it will set us up nicely," he said in The Sun.
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“That is what we have to do in these European games, especially in this group. Playing away you might set up differently, but at home... no."
By Luke Nicholls
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.