Harry Redknapp has turned his sights on Craig Bellamy to solve his club’s goalscoring crisis, according to reports in various newspapers. West Ham have asked for £15m but Redknapp believes he can get the Welsh striker at a lower price provided he can sell players to fund the deal.
Redknapp has a number of targets, including Glen Johnson, Stewart Downing and free agent Stephen Appiah, but is particularly concerned by the absence of a proven goalscorer. While Bellamy’s recent record would hardly fit that bill – he has scored twice for West Ham this season – Redknapp regards him as the best option currently available.
It would mean another hugely lucrative move for Bellamy who is understood to have doubled his wages when he left Liverpool in 2007 for £7.5m. West Ham believe they would be able to maximise value for Bellamy, who has also interested Aston Villa, and would be prepared to let him leave. Spurs, who play Fulham on Friday, are just one point off the relegation zone. Redknapp said he was hopeful of a return for Jermaine Jenas, although Jonathan Woodgate’s injury was more serious than first thought.
In my opinion, Bellamy would offer Spurs nothing extra that Bent and Pavlyuchenko can not. However, they do need to buy a striker soon as Frazier Campbell seems to be headed back to Old Trafford.
The thinking behind targetting Bellamy is probably because he’s a good dribbler, with bags of pace and good finishing ability – somewhat in the Robbie Keane mould. But Bellamy is not up to that standard, and Spurs will only be disappointed if they believe otherwise. The real reason then, is surely sheer opportunism.
The financial difficulties at West Ham mean that Spurs can probably nick a player off them for a decent price. But if that’s the case, why Bellamy, and not Ashton? Redknapp must believe that Bellamy is still capable of producing quality form, the like of which Liverpool had hoped. If it goes ahead (which may not happen, seeing as there is a huge difference between £6m and £14m), then Bellamy could benefit from Redknapp’s reputation for getting a lot out of his players. Or Bellamy could go bust. So a do or die situation, in a way.
