DEFOE !!!!!

Redknapp rues Defoe blow as injury jinx strikes again for Spurs
By Mike McGrath
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2010

TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp is cursing his luck after Jermain Defoe tore his hamstring and became the latest victim of the club’s injury jinx.


Defoe, who scored his 23rd goal of the season last weekend, suffered a grade two tear during a training session and Redknapp hopes he will only be out for a few weeks, although no date has been set for his comeback.

Redknapp already has senior players missing in Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon and David Bentley, but Spurs travel to Stoke today still clinging onto fourth place in the Premier League.

"We’ve had a bad spell of injuries but we’ve got Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Eidur Gudjohnsen in attack," he said.

"We are okay there but there are other areas where we are short."

Kyle Walker fractured his arm in a training game this week and Danny Rose has suffered knee ligament damage.

Redknapp has rarely had a chance to pick a starting XI this season with all of his key players available — Luka Modric also missed more than three months of the campaign — but he is hopeful of King, Jenas, Huddlestone and Bentley all being available soon.

Lennon has been out since December and is hoping to start running next week.

Redknapp added: "Aaron’s raring to go and we’re hoping that some time next week he’ll get on the grass, he is desperate to play and we are desperate to have him."

Meanwhile, Redknapp has responded to Adel Taarabt, the midfielder on loan at QPR, who claimed he made a mistake joining Spurs.

"He said that Barcelona and Real Madrid are coming in for him. That is where he sees himself going next year.

"Barcelona have not been on the phone today and nor have Real Madrid. When they ring us, we are going to ask a lot of money for him.

"He said that he should have gone to Arsenal which is not a clever thing to say when you are playing for Tottenham. He will come back next season unless Barcelona or Real pick up the phone."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, March 20, 2010