Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is adamant he did nothing wrong when making a bid for West Ham captain Scott Parker (West Ham 9/2 – Premier League Relegation).
The White Hart Lane chief is trying to strengthen his squad ahead of the Champions League qualifier and former Chelsea and Newcastle midfielder Parker is one of his targets (Tottenham 3/1 – Top 4 Finish).
However, Hammers co-owner David Sullivan is unhappy with Spurs’ pursuit and insisted the the combative ace would not be sold by the east London outfit this summer.
West Ham also released a club statement which read: “The club informed Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy prior to him making the offer that we would not welcome any approach to unsettle the player.”
However, Redknapp insists Spurs have acted in the proper manner and hinted there could be more to it than has been revealed.
He asked rhetorically: “Who made it public that we made an offer?
“You can make an offer for a player if you want to. You can make an offer for anybody.
“I’m sure the chairman must have got some encouragement or he wouldn’t have made an offer. So I’m not sure the full story has been told about that one.
“The chairman wouldn’t have made an offer unless he thought there was a chance that they wanted to do something.”
Sullivan is stuck between a rock and a hard place over Parker who just missed out on making England’s World Cup squad.
At the end of last season Sullivan insisted he would not allow the 29-year-old to leave, despite putting the entire squad – including the England trio of Rob Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole – up for sale.
At the time Sullivan said: “If we get the right bid we will sell any player, apart from Parker.”
He added: “Parker is not for sale. He has several years left on his contract and has intimated on several occasions he wants to stay.”
Meanwhile, former England captain David Beckham has told the Hammers they have no chance of landing him on loan in the middle of the 2010/11 Premier League season (West Ham 7/2 – Top-half Finish).
The LA Galaxy midfielder is closing in on a return following Achilles trouble but with no major tournament next summer, the 35-year-old is likely to have a break following loan spells with AC Milan during the last two Serie A campaigns.
A spokesman for Beckham told PA Sport: “Whilst it’s flattering to hear of interest there has been no contact with, or offer from, West Ham.
“David is happy at the Los Angeles Galaxy and has no interest in leaving, and is looking forward to returning to the team on August 9.”
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West Ham United (2/1 to be relegated from the Premier League) have rejected a bid from London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for their captain Scott Parker.