Pascal set for shock return to Spurs
Jan 26 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal
SUNDERLAND have become the second North-East club this month to voice their frustration at Tottenham’s transfer tactics, warning Harry Redknapp he is wasting his time with his public courting of Kenwyne Jones.
But their displeasure has not stopped them agreeing to do business over unsettled defender Pascal Chimbonda.
The French international is due to have a medical today at the club he left only six months ago. The 29-year- old was the Black Cats’ best performer in Saturday’s FA Cup draw with Blackburn but his 16th appearance for the club is likely to be his last.
It is not the only irony of the deal, which came hours after manager Ricky Sbragia attacked Redknapp’s "methods" in trying to sign striker Jones, and had also declared Chimbonda not for sale.
Spurs have finally abandoned their latest attempt to sign Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing and switched their attention to Jones. But Sbragia will offer Jones a new contract rather than accept a bid believed of £6m plus Darren Bent. "He won’t be going," was the response.
"There’s no way." What most infuriated Sunderland even more than Tottenham’s refusal to take no for an answer is the attempt to do their buying in public.
"It’s the methods Tottenham use," Sbragia explained. "That’s the most disappointing thing for me. They’ve enquired, we’ve said no and the biggest concern for us is that the player’s head doesn’t get turned. Leaks keep coming out and that’s very frustrating." Redknapp’s recent public utterings have harmed his reputation. As well as attempts to unsettle Jones, Downing, Craig Bellamy, Jermain Defoe and others, he had to backtrack last week after promising to field "the weakest team I can find" in the FA Cup and was criticised for claiming his wife Sandra could have scored the chance Bent missed in the Premier League draw against Portsmouth.
Sbragia says he has the backing of his board and powerful targetman Jones.
"The ownership of our club are happy with the way things are going, we’re trying to build a team around Kenwyne," he said. "We spoke to Kenwyne on Friday and he’s happy here. We asked if the situation had been a problem for him and he said no. He has never shown once he doesn’t want to be here.
"Why should we lose our best players? I could understand if it was a top four club, or maybe even Villa or Everton, but I can’t understand the Spurs thing.
"We would be losing one of our best players. If we went to Spurs and asked them to sell their best player to us, they would say no and I can tell you we’re not interested in any of their players." Tottenham were very vociferous last summer about the not dissimilar methods Liverpool and Manchester United used to sign Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov, but made no official complaint.
"Kenwyne has still got two-and-a- half years (left on his contract) here," Sbragia stressed. "They’re trying to get into the player’s head and maybe trying to work the agent a bit more and push the situation." Chimbonda signed for Sunderland last summer, along with Teemu Tainio and Steed Malbranque. But, as at Wigan Athletic and Spurs, his ill-discipline quickly caused him problems. His time-keeping was a particular source of annoyance to Roy Keane.
Sunderland and Rovers replay a week on Wednesday for the right to host Coventry City in round five. Disappointingly for the competition, Sbragia hinted Phil Bardsley and Dean Whitehead might engineer bookings against Fulham tomorrow to serve suspensions in the replay.
Sbragia said: "With our bookings we might get a few of them to miss the Cup tie."
