Redknapp reveals late Adam bid

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has revealed his club missed out on signing Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam "by minutes" before the transfer deadline.

Spurs boss Redknapp has had a low-key month but revealed chairman Daniel Levy instigated a last-ditch move for the Scotland midfielder.

Redknapp told talkSPORT: "Daniel rang me late on and asked if I like Charlie Adam. I said 'yes, he's a fantastic footballer'. He said do you want him, I said 'can we get him?'. We pushed on and tried to do it, Daniel was confident he could get it through. It went to the wire but we missed out by minutes."

Redknapp added: "Daniel dealt with it. Apparently the boy was definitely up for coming...apparently the chairman couldn't get hold of two shareholders who had to sign the forms as well. It's just one of those things."

It seems the financial details had been agreed for Adam to move to White Hart Lane with only the aforementioned absent shareholders - on Blackpool's side, according to Redknapp - proving the stumbling block.

Redknapp confirmed a move for Everton captain Phil Neville, his only other realistic target, did not come off.

Reports also linked Tottenham with a move for a host of strikers, with suggestions the club had turned their attention to Diego Forlan after missing out on his Atletico Madrid team-mate Sergio Aguero.

It was rumoured that Spurs had tabled a £17million bid for the 31-year-old former Manchester United man, who has also been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Asked if a new striker would be arriving, Redknapp said: "Definitely not.

"There's nothing happening at all there. I don't know where the stories were coming from. All these people were suddenly linked with us."