Redknapp takes Spurs job - as predicted by Undercover Sport

Harry Redknapp has taken the Spurs job - and Undercover Sport was the only place to predict it.

On October 5th, we said that several Tottenham board members had decided Redknapp was the right man to take over from Juande Ramos.

The move made sense to both parties. Spurs wanted the antidote to Ramos - an excellent communicator with a proven track record in the Premier League.

And Redknapp, who is in the twilight of his career, was keen to prove himself at a big club.

He will be back in London and, importantly, will be able to commute to training and match days from his multi-million pound house on the Sandbanks peninsula near Poole.

Now it has become reality. The move does rather make a mockery of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy's pursuit of Juande Ramos a year ago and also of the director of football structure he has placed such great store in.

Daniel Comolli has also been fired and Redknapp has made no secret of his antipathy for the director of football structure in the past.

But desperate times call for desperate measures...

Man City register interest in Zaki

Manchester City have made an inquiry about Amr Zaki with his Egyptian club Zamalek.

Zaki is on a season-long loan with Wigan and has already made a stunning impact, scoring seven goals to top the Premiership scoring charts.

Latics boss Steve Bruce is desperate to make the deal permanent, but faces a struggle to hold onto the Egypt international.

City are the only club to have lodged an official interest with Zamalek so far, but Liverpool are also waiting in the wings.

Blues' boss Mark Hughes is desperate to add a top striker to his squad.

McMahon group ponder Premiership purchase

Singapore investment company "The Profitable Group", fronted by former Liverpool midfielder Steve McMahon, is weighing up a move for a Premier League club.

The group is keen to invest in the Premiership and has looked at West Ham, Everton and Newcastle.

The Hammers are deemed to be a poor proposition, as their wages are seen as too high a proportion of turnover.

Profitable believe the ratio of wages to turnover is 90%, although West Ham vice chairman Ausgeir Fridgeirsson told Undercover Sport it was actually 55%.

Newcastle are deemed too expensive, because owner Mike Ashley is demanding £400m for the club.

So that could leave Everton, a club that McMahon knows well following his time as a player and supporter of the club...

Ljungberg ponders football future

Freddie Ljungberg will decide whether he is to retire from football by Christmas.

The 31-year-old was released by West Ham in the summer after one injury-hit season at the club.

According to his agent, Claes Elefalk, Ljungberg has had numerous offers since then, including some from Premiership clubs.

Yet he has decided to "take time out" from the game and is thinking things over at his home in London.

His choice will be between taking up a final contract with a club or pursuing his modelling and business career.

England in solo bid for 2015 Rugby World Cup

England will be launching a solo bid for the 2015 World Cup.

The Rugby Football Union has, indeed, held talks with their Welsh and Irish counterparts about them hosting matches in 2015.

But this would not be a joint bid. Only England could realistically host the tournament, as the International Rugby Board wants a £100m guarantee for the competition.

England have already confirmed their interest in hosting the competition and are now putting together a bid document.

West Ham won't be taken into state control

Contrary to some rather far-fetched reports, there is no possibility of the Icelandic or British governments seizing control of West Ham.

There had been a report in a reputable British newspaper that the Iceland government was looking into the possibility of seizing the UK assets of Lansbanki owner Bjorgulfur Gudmundsson.

And West Ham is probably the biggest of those assets.

But Undercover Sport, which is proving more scrupulous than prominents newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph, called the Iceland Treasury to check for verification of this story.

A spokesman checked with the business minister, who said there was no chance of this happening.

The UK government has looked into the possibility of freezing Landsbanki's UK assets. But this wouldn't include West Ham either, which is a private investment of Gudmundsson's.

So there you go. A bit of a dry story, but it's correct...

I'll have some juicier stories for you this week.

Spurs keen on Redknapp

Several influential members of the Spurs board have decided that Harry Redknapp should replace Juande Ramos as manager.

They believe Redknapp's motivational skills and knowledge of the Premier League can quickly revive the league's bottom team.

His style is also seen as the ideal antidote to the shortcomings of Ramos, who has struggled to grasp English or to motivate his charges.

The board also now has doubts as to whether the Spaniard will be able to adjust to the unique demands of the Premier League.

Redknapp loves his life on the south coast. He lives in a huge, multi-million pound house overlooking the sea on the Sandbanks peninsula near Poole and has a short commute to work at Portsmouth.

Yet he is willing to listen to offers of other employment. Portsmouth are in serious financial difficulties, with owner Alexandre Gaydamak looking for a buyer for the club, and preparing to offload several players in the January transfer window.

Redknapp, who was born in Poplar, would see the Spurs job as his last big chance to prove himself at the top level in English football. It wouldn't involve uprooting himself and his family and he would back himself to quickly turn around a side that boasts several superb, but underperforming, players.

Remember, you heard it here first. Undercover Sport hasn't got anything wrong so far...look back through the posts.