On Friday morning English football's January sales begin and, with a host of clubs jostling for position with trolleys at the ready, the next 31 days seem destined to put even further distance between the decadence of the Premier League and the credit crunch on the high street.
In the first part of Spurs Mad's transfer window special, we look back on the highs and lows of past deals, picking out the times the men in charge at White Hart Lane bagged the club a bargain, and the times they will have wished they left the cheque book in their other jacket.
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The Hits:
Jonathan Woodgate (£7.5, Middlesbrough, 2008)
Juande Ramos' best signing. Having impressed the Spaniard during his time at Real Madrid, Woodgate was the surprise addition of Ramos' first - and last - January transfer window. He has since proved an invaluable addition to the squad, especially given that Ledley King looks unlikely to ever fully recover from his injury nightmare. The only doubts about Woodgate at the time were in regard to his own injury woes but forty appearances in less than a year is testament to his rediscovered levels of fitness and £7.5m fee looks like a bargain given his experience and quality.
Mido (Loan, AS Roma, 2005)
At the time the burly Egyptian was coveted by a whole host of clubs, but it was Martin Jol who managed to persuade him to set up shop in North London on loan from Roma. After a swaggering two-goal debut against Portsmouth the forward went on to score 14 times in 28 starts over the next 18 months. Before injury robbed us of his services in December 2005 he was arguably one of the best target men in the country. His move was eventually made permanent in 2006 - for £4.5m - but he struggled with injuries and fitness. He was favourite with the fans but ultimately fell out of favour with Martin Jol after criticising Sol Campbell ahead of a match against Portsmouth. However, he is still thought of fondly by many at White Hart Lane, many of whom wonder what might have been had Mido been able to keep in shape.
Jermain Defoe (£7m, West Ham, 2004)
David Pleat's finest contribution to the club came when he persuaded Defoe to swap Upton Park for White Hart Lane. The diminutive striker was an instant success - scoring on his debut - and he went on to score 43 league goals in 88 starts for the club. His last two seasons were inconsistent due to falling out of favour when Jol bought in Dimitar Berbatov. Yet instead of whining and throwing his toys out of the pram, he buckled down and tried his best to force his way back into the reckoning. This, coupled with his decent scoring record, saw him establish himself as one of the supporters favourite players, as could be seen when his name echoed around White Hart Lane during Redknapp's first match in charge. Testament to his importance to the side, the decision to sell him during the last transfer window must go down as a mistake.
The Misses:
Gilberto (£1.9m, Hertha Berlin, 2008)
The £1.9m spent on 'Brazilian' full back Gilberto was a complete waste of money. His signing had Damien Comolli written all over it - rushed and inadequate. Responsible for the home loss to PSV in last season's knock out phase of the Uefa Cup, Gilberto's main input this campaign has been a disastrous cameo against Spartak Moscow, when he was hauled off at half-time after gifting the Russians a goal. It led to Redknapp, with a degree of sympathy, telling reporters the Brazilian has no future at the club.
Hossam Ghaly (Undisclosed, Feyenoord, 2006)
Every club has a boo boy, the player the fans develop an irrational loathing for every time he takes the field in their beloved colours. For a while ours was Hossam Ghaly. His crime was wasteful passing. But in truth he wasn't, or should that be 'isn't' as the club still hasn't offloaded him, a bad player. In fact many of his performances for the club were characterised by a real determination and grit and at the very least he added bite to a midfield woefully lacking in that department. Yes he had a few shocking games (home to Liverpool in 2007 springs to mind) but despite his act of petulance when substituted against Blackburn, he did not deserve to be turned on so viciously by the fans he had always given his best for. Now rotting in the reserves, the Egyptian has vowed never to play for the club again. Who can blame him.
Danny Murphy (£2m, Charlton, 2006)
As he proved at Charlton and Fulham, Murphy is not a bad player. However, his transfer to Tottenham was a bad move. From day one, Martin Jol didn't much fancy him. Brought to the club to add guile and experience to the centre of midfield, Murphy struggled to force his way into the first team, making just 22 appearances in little over a year before moving to Craven Cottage.
Ricardo Rocha (£3.5m, Benfica, 2007)
Another player who wasn't terrible but wasn't much cop either. Again signed to bring experience to the side, Rocha was too small to be a centre back in the Premier League and too slow to be an effective full back. Has made just 18 appearances in two years but might have been called on by Redknapp for European games had Juande Ramos registered him for the Uefa Cup. Looks destined to be moved on as soon as a buyer is found.
Redknapp's Record
Harry is known as one of football's arch wheeler dealers and his record during the January sales is testament to just that.
In January 2006, Redknapp faced an uphill battle to keep Portsmouth in the Premier League. Having rejoined the club from arch rivals Southampton less than a month before, he was tasked with what seemed the impossible - save a bottom of the league side from relegation on a shoe string budget.
He spent most of his kitty on three Tottenham players - Pedro Mendes, Sean Davis and Noe Pamarot - and despite struggling initially, those three players stabilised his side before they embarked on a brilliant run of form which saw them pip Birminham City in the battle to avoid the drop.
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Harry's Hits...
Lassana Diarra (£5.5m, Arsenal, 2008)
Known for his ability to persuade some of the top players in the league to swap swanky stadiums for the dilapidated Fratton Park, the signing of Diarra was a master-stroke. Despite struggling to get a game under Arsene Wenger, Diarra was regarded as one of the top of midfielders in the country and at Chelsea he was seen as the successor to Claude Makelele. During his brief stay at Portsmouth he excelled, becoming the mainstay of Redknapp's midfield. As a testament to the quality of the deal, Diarra recently completed a £20m move to Real Madrid.
Jermain Defoe (£7m, Tottenham, 2008)
Since signing for Pompey Defoe has scored 17 goals in 35 appearances, forming an effective partnership with Peter Crouch.
...The Misses
Matt Taylor (Sold for £3.5m, Bolton, 2008)
Taylor's fall from grace at Fratton Park was puzzling. One minute he was scoring handfuls of spectacular goals, the next he was warming the bench. Having fallen below Niko Krancjar in the pecking order, Taylor was moved on for a relatively small fee and has since scored eight in 31 league appearances for a hardly prolific Bolton side. Harry definitely let him get away lightly.
Milan Baros (loan, Lyon, 2008)
The Czech striker failed to score during 15 appearances for Portsmouth. Baros underachieved at Liverpool and then struggled at Villa, so I guess Redknapp must have felt it would be third time lucky for the striker, who has is too often found running with his head down, blinkers on, when teammates are in better positions. We need a striker who can score goals, so hopefully this rules Baros out of another attempt at cracking English football.
Djimi Traore and Lauren (£1m and 500k, Charlton and Arsenal, 2007)
Liverpool fans have a song for Traore, sung to the tune of Blame it on the Boogie, with the aforementioned seventies dance replaced by the hapless Frenchman. If he was woeful at Liverpool (yet he got a Champions League winners medal) he wasn't much better at Portsmouth. The same can be said for Lauren, who recently revealed his desire to leave the south coast club by telling members of the French press that all Pompey's best players were about to quit. Fans will surely be glad to see the back of him, then.
Verdict:
The clubs record since the mid-season window was established has been varied but, for the most part, reasonably positive. The signing of Jonathan Woodgate shows it is possible to acquire players who not only benefit the squad in the short team but who also fit into a broader, long term strategy. If anything this is the main task facing Redknapp, to ensure that he buys with the future in mind as well as the immediate goal of avoiding relegation. The fear is he will turn to players who may have the desired impact this season but might not be beneficial over to his restructuring in the summer - Craig Bellamy springs to mind.
More of this will be discussed when Spurs Mad analyses all the clubs transfer targets for the next month, but to touch on the Bellamy debate, he is undoubtedly a player of quality but he is prone to injuries and may not be the most harmonious addition to the dressing room. Granted we need a striker, and he fits the bill, but having had a £12m bid rejected, do we really want to be spending another £15m+ on a forward who has such question marks over him?
What is almost guaranteed is that combining our financial clout and Harry Redknapp will surely result in a plethora of surprises over the next 31 days or so. No doubt Harry already has his beady little eyes on a host of players, some we've heard of, some we haven't, and one things for sure, there won't be a dull moment at White Hart Lane next month. That said, is there ever?