Redknapp worried about strength in depth

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp wants to sign four proven players this month to bolster a threadbare squad he describes as desperately short on quality in numbers.

With the Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Burnley next Tuesday, Redknapp has been juggling his players to cope with a schedule of four games in 12 days that has led to players without squad numbers at the start of the season being utilised.

In the 3-1 FA Cup win over Wigan yesterday, Darren Bent picked up a groin injury to become the latest fitness concern.

“Everyone fit was involved,” Redknapp said. “The players cast aside at the start of the season made up most of the bench so God knows how the club would have survived if I hadn’t brought them

back in.

“There is such a shortage here. In terms of quality, there are 40 or 50 that have dinner every day but there are only about 14 or 15 who can play in the Premier League.

“When I was at Portsmouth last year we had 10 good defenders and eight central midfielders for three positions. That is the strength we had and here it is completely the opposite.

“We need three or four players.”

Redknapp is interested in Portsmouth’s Jermain Defoe, West Ham’s Craig Bellamy and Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing but there have been no agreements with the clubs.

Bayern Munich’s Lukas Podolski has also claimed interest from Spurs, with Redknapp looking for players to ease his selection worries.

Tom Huddlestone (ankle) and Jermaine Jenas (calf) missed the Wigan win, Ledley King (knee) cannot play matches in quick succession, Giovani dos Santos (ankle) is out of favour and only just back in training, while Alan Hutton (foot) is out for the season.

It means in training matches coach Tim Sherwood often joins in to make up the numbers.

But Redknapp’s problems are not confined to the treatment room as he feels the fans’ negative reaction to Hossam Ghaly and Gilberto means they cannot play.

“We’ve got two fit strikers and two players who can’t play because the crowd don’t like them,” Redknapp added. “Apart from that we’re not too bad.”