Premiership: Hands off our stars, Lowe warns Hoddle

Rupert Lowe has warned former boss Glenn Hoddle not to attempt to raid The Dell following his arrival at Tottenham.

Tottenham will give Hoddle money to strengthen the squad, even if reports of a war chest of up to £50m may be spread over a period of time.

Southampton is a likely hunting ground for the new Spurs boss, who might consider players such as Dean Richards, Wayne Bridge and James Beattie.

But Lowe is determined to fend off possible interest and declared: "It's a business issue but most of our players are on long-term contracts.

"We don't want to have built a brand new stadium and not have any players to play in it.

"The essence of football is to win football matches and you can't do that without your best players. "