All Sorts of Rumors

The rumor mill has certainly been churning in recent days as all of the papers prepare for the January transfer window to open and, like usual, Spurs are at the center of it all.

The most important news may come from the south coast, as Portsmouth defender Lauren said that the team is going to be dismantled in the winter transfer window and that a large part of that will involve Jermaine Defoe and Glen Johnson following Harry Redknapp to north London. Defoe would be a hugely welcome (returning) addition to the club, as Spurs never should have sold the striker in the first place. Possessing a pace that neither Darren Bent nor Roman Pavyluchenko have, Defoe is the perfect strike partner for either one of the two. Unfortunately, he may be cup tied since he appeared for Portsmouth already, but he will be a hugely welcome addition in the Premiership.

Johnson has also been linked with Liverpool, but would be an excellent addition to Spurs' back line, particularly if the injury bug continues to hit as hard as it has lately.

Tottenham has been linked with Zenit St. Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin since the summer, when it appeared as if the striker would be coming to Spurs at the close of the transfer window in a deal that never quite materialized. Now, the star of Euro 2008 has been given permission to seek out a move and, as such, was recently in London for two days discussing a transfer with a Premier League club. Alas, that team was probably Chelsea, not Spurs, as Zenit manager Dick Advocaat told the press that he believes that Spurs are beneath Arshavin. Also, there are the Russian ties with Roman Abramovich, who would surely want to sign the mother country's most well-known player. The whole situation can get more confusing, however, when one considers that Chelsea supposedly don't have money to spend in this transfer window and Advocaat found it necessary to make his comments. Perhaps Arshavin was meeting with Spurs? We won't know until January. (For what it's worth, Spurs already have two players who fill the same role that Arshavin does in Luka Modric and Giovani dos Santos.)

Harry Redknapp is also believed to be looking at Espanyol defender Steve Finnan in a loan deal, as the former Liverpool man has only had four starts in Spain and could be looking for a return to England. Finnan would be an excellent solution to the defensive issues, as he is a proven performer who would come cheap. I approve.

The most bizarre rumor of the day came out early, as it was reported that Redknapp was willing to offer £3 million for Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant, but that Rafa Benitez had countered with a bid for Aaron Lennon that would bring £7 million and Pennant to White Hart Lane. That transaction would be ridiculously stupid for Spurs, as Lennon has been one of the most consistent offensive performers since Redknapp came over and seems to finally be living up to some of his potential. Hopefully this rumor is only that and there is nothing to it.

Ghanian midfielder Anthony Annan has been linked with Tottenham, and he would come relatively cheaply at £4.3 million from Norwegian club Rosenborg. The only issue is that his agents came out yesterday and said that Annan is happy in Norway and that no negotiations have taken place, seemingly dousing those rumors.

In one final piece of news, Wigan manager Steve Bruce moved to clean up a rumor from yesterday, stating that he wants to keep winger Antonio Valencia with the Lactics and that Valencia would certainly cost more than the £7 million tag that is currently being named. Of course, whether he's just trying to up the price (probably not) or is actually telling the truth (probably) remains to be seen.

That's all for now, but I'm sure there will be tons more tomorrow.

Valencia, Ashton, Johnson, Keane and the Keeper Situation

News from White Hart Lane was kind of slow the past few days, but Tottenham has been linked with a few more players, most notably to Antonio Valencia and (again) to Dean Ashton.

Wigan's Valencia is another winger, giving hints that Redknapp may not be satisfied with the recent of David Bentley. The Ecuadorian international is a favorite of Steve Bruce's, but could probably be had for £7 million. Valencia could be a very solid addition to the current Spurs squad.

The other recent rumor, which has really been around since the end of summer (along with the Emile Heskey and Michael Owen ones) is that Tottenham is interested in West Ham's Dean Ashton. The interesting part about that, besides the striker's rather prolific injury record, is that Spurs are also supposedly interested in West Ham defender Matthew Upson and keeper Robert Green. Like Owen, Ashton is a very good player if he can remain healthy, but he doesn't do that very often. If Harry Redknapp can purchase him at a discount value (which he may not be because Aston Villa and Manchester City reportedly want him, too), he would be a good buy. Otherwise, I would advise against it.

Redknapp has also been linked with Glen Johnson, who he coached at Portsmouth, as a potential target. Johnson is a very solid player who would be a good target and may be able to be had at reasonable value, as Redknapp's relationship with Portsmouth still appears to be good.

As far as the goalkeeper search goes, Tottenham may have some competition for the services of Carlos Kameni, as both Fullham and Newcastle are reportedly interested in the Espanyol keeper. Why Newcastle is interested is very unclear, as they already have Shay Given and Steve Harper, but a bidding war for a player who would probably be a backup keeper is not advisable.

Redknapp also spoke about Ben Foster, saying that he is very expensive right now and that if Spurs bought him, he wouldn't be a backup for them. He also said that he couldn't see Alex Ferguson selling Foster anytime soon.

As far as the Robbie Keane rumors go, it appears as if there are rules in English football that prevent a player from being sold back to his former club in a 12 month window, meaning that the striker will not be returning to White Hart Lane until at least the summer transfer window.