Redknapp: England job would be 'difficult'

 

Paul Hirst
Tuesday 13 March 2012 11:00 GMT
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Harry Redknapp is very happy at Spurs, despite a painful defeat at Everton on Saturday
Harry Redknapp is very happy at Spurs, despite a painful defeat at Everton on Saturday (Getty Images)

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Harry Redknapp says he is "not sure" whether he wants to take the England job and admits it would be "difficult" to make the transition from club to international manager. The Tottenham manager has spent the past month fielding questions about the post, and a number of high-profile managers and players from within English football have backed the 65-year-old to succeed Fabio Capello.

Redknapp (below) has blown hot and cold, admitting it is the "ultimate" job for any English manager while conceding it would be hard to leave Spurs after three and a half fine years.

"I'm not sure," Redknapp said in an interview with the French newspaper L'Equipe when asked if he would like to manage England. "I have a very good job at Tottenham today and I like it. But I do not know. We will wait and see."

He accepts the challenges would be totally different from those at club level. "When you have a club, you look for a striker and you take them. When you're coach, you must [make] do with the players you have in your country ... and you almost never see the players: it is very difficult."

The Football Association has said it will wait until the "back end" of this season before making an approach for its preferred candidate as it is keen not to disrupt the campaign of any domestic manager in charge of a club.

Redknapp is getting on with life as normal until the FA comes calling and has revealed plans for summer transfer targets.

He has watched the highly rated Lille midfielder Eden Hazard (above) recently and says that the Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, is determined to sign the Belgian.

"Our chairman is willing to pay for an exceptional talent like Eden Hazard," Redknapp said. "I have seen him several times recently ... I know that Manchester United and Manchester City are watching – but I like him a lot."

Meanwhile, Tomas Rosicky has signed a new contract with Spurs' rivals, Arsenal. The midfielder struggled earlier this season but a string of strong recent displays, particularly in last week's 3-0 win over Milan, has won him a new contract. "It's a great honour to sign a new deal with Arsenal. I am proud to wear the shirt," the Czech said.

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