Tottenham Hotspur Sign Scott Parker From West Ham

Harry Redknapp finally gets his man, as former Chelsea midfielder signs on a permanent deal...

By Simon Gallagher /

After another of this summer's lengthy transfer sagas, Tottenham Hotspurs manager Harry Redknapp has got his man. Scott Parker, the former Charlton, Chelsea and Newcastle United midfielder has joined the club on a permanent basis today after handing in a transfer request yesterday at Sam Allardyce's Championship side. The midfielder was linked earlier in the transfer window with a £4m bid from QPR, and suggested as a possible target for Stoke and Aston Villa but he now takes his place in the Spurs midfield after Redknapp chased him for what seems like the entire summer. For their money (unconfirmed at this stage), Tottenham are bringing in an England international who has dynamism and drive like few others operating in his position in the Premiership currently. He is to borrow an old cliche a box-to-box midfielder who always looks impressive when running with the ball at his feet - something he was never encouraged to do during relatively unsuccessful stints at both Chelsea and Newcastle, and he will bring goals as well as on-field leadership, both of which Spurs might need help with this season. With Parker joining Emmanuel Adebayor through the door at White Hart Lane, Spurs can count the spine of the team as already dramatically stronger than the start of last season, and with talents like Aaron Lennon, Rafael Van Der Vaart and particularly Gareth Bale providing service and flair elsewhere on the pitch, count them as a definite to challenge towards the top end of the table as the season progresses. Whether Parker will be lining up alongside Luka Modric is less certain at this stage, with the next seven and a half hours likely to prove pivotal in his Spurs career, amidst interest from Chelsea and Man City.