Jermain Defoe has revealed former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp told him he didn’t need to bother with a medical ahead of his deadline day transfer from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2008.
Defoe scored 64 goals in 177 appearances during his first spell at Spurs but found his first-team chances drastically reduced in the first half of the 2007/08 campaign.
On deadline day in the January transfer window, Redknapp – who had previously managed Defoe at West Ham United – decided to bring the striker in at Fratton Park when Portsmouth were still in the Premier League.
And Defoe has now revealed the deal was so rushed he was told by Redknapp not to bother with a medical before signing for his new club.
“When I went to Portsmouth, it was Deadline Day. Benjani went to Man City and I went to Portsmouth with Harry [Redknapp],” said Defoe, according to Sky Sports.
“I was at my mum’s house and had to rush to Portsmouth. Harry was like ‘don’t bother about the medical, you’re fit. You’re fine!’
“He knew me from a kid [at West Ham], so he was ‘come on JD, you’ve just got to get down and score some goals. You don’t need a medical, you’re young and fit.'”
The 35-year-old went on to score 17 goals in 36 games for Portsmouth before returning to Tottenham a year later, again signed by Redknapp.
Defoe to Rangers?
Defoe struggled to nail down a starting spot at Bournemouth last season and has subsequently been linked with a move to Rangers.
But the former England international has played down those rumours despite sharing an agent with Rangers boss Steven Gerrard.
“I’ve played with Steven Gerrard [with England], we’ve got the same agent. Like everyone, you see things on Twitter and in the papers, but that’s it really,” he said.
“I always try to focus on the club I am at, you’ve got a job to do and that’s it.
“From the speculation side of things, everyone gets that. You just have to get your head down, work hard and get ready for the season.”
The post Jermain Defoe: ‘Harry Redknapp told me not to bother with Portsmouth medical’ appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2OElBwE
No comments:
Post a Comment