Source: Daily_Mail
Harry lands cut-price Crouch for £9m as Bent bales out at Tottenham
Harry Redknapp finally got his man when Peter Crouch joined Tottenham from cash-strapped Portsmouth in a £9million transfer.
The deal represented excellent business for Spurs boss Redknapp because Sunderland last weekagreed to pay £12m, only for the England striker to reject the move.
And the Crouch deal was not the only piece of good business by astute Redknapp yesterday.
Darren Bent stepped off Tottenham's plane to China shortly before take-off after his move to Sunderland was revived in dramatic fashion. Bent was in his seat when the call came to stay behind, and the team's departure for Beijing was held up while his luggage was removed.
The striker had been cleared earlier in the day to join his team-mates for the Asia Trophy when Sunderland pulled out of the deal, unhappy over Redknapp's refusal to budge over an asking price of about £16.5m.
Enlarge Bent was told the deal was back on after Sunderland came back with a £14m offer, which includes an initial £9m fee plus add-ons. The cut-price Crouch coup was reward for Redknapp's persistence.
After the Wembley Cup on Sunday, the manager said: 'Peter holds the ball up and we don't do that well enough. He gives you an option and he's played for me a few times before.
He's always done a job and he's great on set-plays.' Crouch's arrival from Pompey, a club which has to repay debts and is in the throes of a takeover, will raise more questions over Robbie Keane's future 12 months after he left to join Liverpool ina £19m transfer.
Returning to White Hart Lane in January, Keane'sfuture looked mapped out at the club where he has spent a large part ofhis career.
However, Redknapp's decision to reunite Jermain Defoe andCrouch, a partnership he first brought together at Pompey, raises questions over Keane's role.
