English Premiership
Spurs want Beckham
2011-02-04 18:27
London - Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp still wants to sign David Beckham and is prepared to wait until the former England captain's contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expires in November.
Beckham trained with the north London club after Redknapp's attempt to sign him on loan last month faltered, but the Spurs manager said he could try again - even though Beckham will be 36 by then.
"I could do, yeah," Redknapp said. "I love him. I love the way he plays."
Having failed in his attempt to play on loan in Europe for a third straight year, Beckham is set to return to the United States next week ahead of the Major League Soccer season.
Redknapp said the midfielder showed enough in training to suggest he could still compete in the Premier League, which he left in 2003 when he left Manchester United for Real Madrid.
"David has been fantastic," Redknapp said. "He is a top-class bloke. He has been great around the place. You would love to have him at your club.
"He is so slim and so fit. He is a fanatical trainer. He works in the morning and the afternoon in the gym. He just loves playing football."
Tottenham is fifth in the Premier League after beating Blackburn 1-0 on Wednesday through Peter Crouch's third-minute header from Rafael van der Vaart's long pass.
Redknapp thinks his team could be scoring a lot more like that if he had Beckham in his squad to deliver his trademark crosses and free kicks.
"That ball that Van der Vaart hit for Crouchy, David hit about seven of them the other morning in training," Redknapp said. "It was like he had radar and Crouchy kept heading them in the goal.
"I kept saying, 'that's what I have been asking you to do lads."'
Beckham had been hoping that playing in the Premier League would boost his chances of being recalled to the England squad to add to his 115 appearances.
The Galaxy, however, was reluctant to allow Beckham to go to Europe for a third consecutive MLS offseason after he damaged his Achilles' tendon at AC Milan last year and was sidelined for six months.
"He's still keen to keep playing, that's for sure," Redknapp said. "I'm sure he's got a decent enough place in Los Angeles but he's over here wanting to keep playing.
"Most footballers would rather be in Los Angeles."