When is a transfer deadline not a transfer deadline? When Harry Redknapp and Sven are involved obviously.
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Benjani Mwaruwari signs for Manchester City in January 2008
After a quick scan through the competing nations at the African Cup of Nations I was rather surprised to see that at least one of Harry Redknapp's African contingent wouldn't be jetting out to Ghana to compete and, in my view, luckily for him, it was his top scorer Benjani. Not everything is as it seems and especially when Harry Redknapp hits the transfer window as we've seen in previous years.
It may have taken the last minute signing of Jermain Defoe to set the Benjani to Manchester City transfer in motion but after the player was late turning up at Eastlands for a medical and talks on deadline night it appeared that the deal was dead in the water. Word from City was that Benjani's knee was causing their medical staff some worries as well but, after some pressure from the pompey side, the deal was completed a couple of days after the window closed due to some loophole that no-one involved has been able to explain so far. Just another transfer in Harry's long (and sometimes not so distinguished wheeling and dealing career).
City for their initial bargain fee of £3.865 million have snared a striker sitting third in the Premier League scoring charts this season and finally adjusted to English football. Portsmouth may see the fee rise to a more agreeable £7.75 million after 75 appearances but it's yet another strange gamble from Redkanpp and co. Is there more to this deal than meets the eye I wonder?
It may have taken the last minute signing of Jermain Defoe to set the Benjani to Manchester City transfer in motion but after the player was late turning up at Eastlands for a medical and talks on deadline night it appeared that the deal was dead in the water. Word from City was that Benjani's knee was causing their medical staff some worries as well but, after some pressure from the pompey side, the deal was completed a couple of days after the window closed due to some loophole that no-one involved has been able to explain so far. Just another transfer in Harry's long (and sometimes not so distinguished wheeling and dealing career).
City for their initial bargain fee of £3.865 million have snared a striker sitting third in the Premier League scoring charts this season and finally adjusted to English football. Portsmouth may see the fee rise to a more agreeable £7.75 million after 75 appearances but it's yet another strange gamble from Redkanpp and co. Is there more to this deal than meets the eye I wonder?