Redknapp excited at Sandro signing

Spurs agreed a £9m fee for Brazil midfielder Sandro (GETTY IMAGES)

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £9m fee for 21-year-old Brazil midfielder Sandro and expect him to join them in the summer from Internacional. Spurs said yesterday he will arrive in England once the Brazilian club's involvement in the Copa Libertadores is over.

"I got a phone call this morning from the chairman saying that he thought we were close to doing it," Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager said. "Hopefully it will get done now and it will be a good signing. He is strong. He looks a very, very good player so I am looking forward to getting him here."

Tottenham moved for Sandro under the terms of a partnership agreement they signed with Internacional in August. The player, whose full name is Sandro Ranieri Guimaraes Cordeiro, has played eight times for Brazil's Under-20 team and was captain of the side that won the 2009 South American Youth Championship. He made his debut for the selecao in a World Cup qualifier against Chile last September.

Spurs entertain Fulham in a FA Cup quarter-final replay tonight hoping David Bentley will have shaken off a virus and can feature in the squad. Roman Pavlyuchenko is doubtful after suffering a hamstring injury in the Premier League win at Stoke on Saturday but Wilson Palacios returns after being rested at the Britannia Stadium because he is one booking away from a two-match ban.

Fulham will make a late check on Brede Hangeland's chest injury after the centre-half missed Sunday's home defeat to Manchester City at the weekend.

The winner's of tonight's game will play Portsmouth and Pompey's Jamie O'Hara, who is on loan from Spurs, has angered Redknapp by declaring he hopes Fulham win so he can play in the semi-final. "It is a weird one because for the first time in my life I will be hoping Spurs lose," O'Hara said. "I want to play at Wembley."

Redknapp responded: "Jamie shouldn't say that, really. I understand where he is coming from. I think he just wants to play at Wembley. But this is his club, he is a Tottenham player and he will be back here next year. He has got to be careful what he says because this is his club and the fans love him here.

"He has done a great job for Portsmouth and I am delighted how well he has done for them. I have so much time for Jamie. He obviously wants to go to Wembley and play, so it is difficult. He had the disappointment in the League Cup final of being left out of the team when Tottenham played Chelsea. He is obviously desperate to get there this year."