Friedel, 40, signed for Spurs on a free transfer last month after turning down offers from Liverpool and the club he spent the last three seasons with - Aston Villa. The fact that Redknapp handed Friedel a two-year contract shows he has a lot of faith in the American despite his age, and he could start the season as Spurs' first-choice goalkeeper.
Friedel and Gomes both started training at the club's base in Chigwell, Essex, on Monday ahead of next week's pre-season tour of South Africa. Friedel told Spurs' website: "My ambition is to get the number one spot. That's one of the reasons why I signed with Tottenham - to play football."
He added: "Obviously the decision is down to the manager but I am just going to go out and work as hard as I can now. Hopefully I will be the number one goalkeeper."
Despite his blunders, Gomes still put in some superb performances last season and Friedel acknowledges that he faces tough competition from the popular former PSV Eindhoven man and Carlo Cudicini.
"Every club now has at least two top-quality goalkeepers. That's been the same at every club I have been at," Friedel said.
"You are always going to have two keepers who are going to want to play and bust a gut to make sure they do play and that's no different here."
Friedel admitted he never thought he would leave Villa last year, but the fall-out from Martin O'Neill's resignation just before the start of the season, and Gerard Houllier's troubled reign, convinced him that moving to London was a much better option.
"I just wanted to get through to Christmas and I always thought that if I was fit enough I would end up re-signing for Villa," Friedel added. "They did offer me a contract but when I had six months left I got offers from a few clubs.
"I just felt that after speaking with the chairman and the gaffer here that this was the place I wanted to be. I liked the prospect of trying to get the team back into the Champions League."
Source: PA
Source: PA