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{ • Tottenham manager weighs up transfer gains and losses
• 'We have not had goals from our front players this year'

Mike McGrath guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 1 February 2011 22.29 GMT Harry Redknapp was at a loss to explain a move for Blackpool's Charlie Adam with only 20 minutes of the window left open. Photograph: Geoff Caddick/EPA

Harry Redknapp fears that Tottenham Hotspur's chances of Champions League qualification are under threat after missed opportunities in the transfer market.

The Spurs manager made it clear he did not wish to criticise his chairman, Daniel Levy, yet would not disagree with the Everton manager, David Moyes, who described a £500,000 bid for Phil Neville as "insulting". "It was a pretty low offer for a good player," Redknapp said. "I couldn't argue with David on it."

Redknapp was also at a loss to explain why a move for the Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam came with 20 minutes of the window left open. "I don't know. Pass," the manager said. "At 10.40pm I'm ready to go to the hotel back to bed, suddenly we're going to sign Charlie Adam and I thought: 'We haven't got a lot of time here.' And we ran out of time."

Redknapp snapped up Rafael van der Vaart on deadline day of the first window of this season. But this time around he was watching rolling news on television while one of his previous targets, Andy Carroll, moved to Liverpool. "It was funny watching it on Sky, Newcastle were pushing the price up by the minute and they were probably doing cartwheels in the boardroom," Redknapp said.

The arrival of Carroll and Luis Suárez at Liverpool means Redknapp expects them to be a direct threat for a Champions League place, while Chelsea are now title contenders again after signing Fernando Torres and David Luiz. "At the start of the month, before the window, I felt the championship was up for grabs," Redknapp said. "It's going to get harder because the other teams are looking stronger with the strength of their squads.

"People were talking about Chelsea dropping out of the top four but by signing Fernando Torres Roman Abramovich has said: 'I don't think so.' I can see them being close to winning the league. Liverpool are still contenders for a top-four spot. Andy Carroll is a talent. He is a big, powerful centre-forward who could be a great hit at that club."

Redknapp was thought to be undecided on some of his targets, such as the Holland midfielder Mark van Bommel, and £140,000-a-week wages for Diego Forlán prevented him from recruiting the Uruguay striker. Signing a forward was a high priority after six league goals from Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko this season but Spurs missed out on Carroll, Forlán, Giuseppe Rossi and Sergio Agüero.

"I think if we found the right player we would have done something," Redknapp said. "I don't know what offers we made for these players. We have not had goals from our front players this year. It has been a problem."

There are problems in defence, too, for Redknapp and he confirmed that Ledley King requires surgery to cure his groin injury. Younes Kaboul will also need an operation following knee problems. Michael Dawson is suspended for tonight's trip to Blackburn, so Jonathan Woodgate could make his first appearance for 14 months after his groin injury. "He will be involved somewhere but I have it in my mind to throw him in at the deep end," Redknapp said. "He could start."

Redknapp admitted that Bongani Khumalo, one of two pieces of business Spurs managed in January, was not ready to play in the Premier League after his move from the South African team Supersport United. "Adapting? It's not adapting, it's whether you're good enough," Redknapp said. "He wants to be a player. He is a young kid really with loads to learn but he wants to learn and has the raw talent."

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