Rate it!

27 votes

With Harry Redknapp's assertion that he has full control over transfer activity at Tottenham, a series of raids on his former club Portsmouth cannot be too far away.

Apparently, working under Redknapp is nothing but a pleasure so it would come as no surprise if a number of his former charges decide to jump ship at the earliest opportunity should Spurs come knocking.

Redknapp is set to be handed a bumper £30m transfer kitty - more than enough to take a couple of Pompey players with him to White Hart Lane - and already a trio of names have been thrown into the hat: Jermain Defoe, David James and Lassana Diarra .

Defoe only quit Spurs in January this year, when the attractive flowing football Redknapp likes to encourage proved a major factor in the striker's decision to swap North London for the south coast.

And with Spurs' squad currently boasting just three strikers - Darren Bent, Roman Paylyuchenko and Fraizer Campbell, none of whom have hit form this season - bolstering that department with the acquisition of Defoe will be a priority for the new boss.

He said: "You never know do you? If he (Defoe) ever came back up for sale then I'm sure we would be interested."

Just below a striker on his wish list, Redknapp is likely to target a goalkeeper, with James the obvious choice to offer competition for Heurelho Gomes, who has amazed with his capacity for the unexpected so far this season.

Redknapp has managed to bring the best out of James at club level - he only really makes embarrassing gaffes for his country these days - thankfully minimising the frequency with which he is referred to as 'calamity' James.

And Diarra - who appears intent on rivalling Christian Vieri in terms of number of clubs played for before he is even 25 - would be a welcome addition to any side's midfield. Although being an ex-Gooner, it is unclear quite how the France international will be received in the white half of North London.

Three down, but why stop there? There's plenty more to aim for, so why not throw the likes of Peter Crouch, Sylvain Distin and Glen Johnson - all of whom have already been linked to Spurs - into the hat for good measure?

Of course, Portsmouth are well aware of the threat their former manager now poses and are braced for the inevitable onslaught.

Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie admitted: "I accept that many players did come here mostly because of Harry but that sort of thing also exists at other clubs. I don't know what is going to happen in the future because Harry's going is still a big shock."

Whether Redkanpp will target players from clubs he hasn't previously managed remains unclear, but moves for Gossip Shop regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham were immediately ruled out.

"I'm not going to ask the chairman to go and buy Ronaldo for me," Redknapp said before laughing off a suggestion he could move for LA Galaxy ace David Beckham. "It sounds like a good idea doesn't it?!" he joked.

Meanwhile, West Ham, Southampton and Bournemouth remain in a state of constant uneasiness.

In other news, those marketing men over in the MLS must be having kittens with the news that underwear model and sometime soccerball player Freddie Ljungberg is ready to make a return to the game with the Seattle Sounders.

"Freddie's a fantastic player who has a lot more to offer," Sounders president Gary Wright said, barely able to conceal his glee at the thought of the poster boy Swede boosting both ticket sales and libido in the Pacific Northwest.

Heading in the opposite direction across the Atlantic could be Los Angeles Galaxy striker Landon Donovan, who says he fancies a move to the Premier League or La Liga, and that he has already been in contact with Bayern Munich boss Juergen Klinsmann.

"I'd love to play in the Premiership, I think that would be incredible," the 105-cap US international said. "I'd love to play in Spain."

GS reckons he's tailor-made for Fulham. Way to hustle, Landon.

And finally, CSKA Moscow youngster Alan Dzagoev is set to snub overtures from Real Madrid in favour of a move to Chelsea .

The reason? "Basically I like Chelsea more," the 18-year-old attacking midfielder said. "I have supported the team for four years already." Sounds like he'll fit right in at Stamford Bridge.

Mike Hytner / Eurosport