'Harry Redknapp can win Tottenham the Premier League title before taking over England job' - Spurs legend Gary Mabbutt

EXCLUSIVE
By Rob Stewart

Former Tottenham Hotspur skipper Gary Mabbutt believes Harry Redknapp could give Spurs the ultimate leaving present if he is offered the England manager's job – by leading the club to the Premier League title.

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Mabbutt has endorsed Redknapp’s England credentials but hopes the 60-year-old will be able to mastermind the club’s tilt at the Premier League title before taking charge of the national side as Euro 2012 beckons.

The former England international is adamant Tottenham side are still in with a chance of winning their first Premier League title and wants the Football Association to allow Redknapp to spearhead the club’s push towards the pinnacle of English football before a possible move to Wembley Stadium.

“The FA will look at the whole package and Harry’s whole package in my belief is that he will tick all the FA’s boxes but unfortunately, I am saying that as someone from Tottenham and so I say it with a heavy heart,” Mabbutt told Goal.com.

“We have not been in this position for a long time. We have the opportunity of putting in a sustained amount of pressure on the two Manchester teams.

“There are 42 points to be won and lost. We are seven points behind the leaders at the moment and looking at the season so far I am sure that there will be plenty of twists and turns between now and the end of the season.”

Should the FA turn to Redknapp as they seek Fabio Capello’s long-term successor, Mabbutt, who won 16 England caps and played almost 500 times for Tottenham, believes that former West Ham manager will find it difficult to turn down.

“We would like to hold on to Harry forever because he is so popular and because of what he has achieved over the last couple of years,” Mabbutt added.

“But Harry is in his mid-60s and he has come true very well after minor surgery and the team are flying at the moment but from any manager’s perspective to get the opportunity to manage your national team is something that is very difficult to turn down.

“From Tottenham’s perspective we just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.  When the FA’s plans are made clear then it will have to be looked at to see what can be done. I am sure the FA have considered whether a manager could do jobs at the same time. That would be very difficult but there is only one game England before he season finishes.”

"We have got a very important last 14 games of the season to play i our bid to finish in the top four and put pressure on the Manchester teams. The court case has been a distraction for Harry and when he was exonerated you just think we can start planning for the Newcastle game and the news broke about Fabio. Even by English standards it was a madcap day.”

Mabbutt is convinced that Redknapp is the outstanding candidate for the position thanks to his efforts at Tottenham.

“I can never remember before such a clamour for a manager to take over the national team,” he continued. “There will generally be a few you are being considered or put forward but at the moment with his success in club management at all different levels and the experience he has gained, his man-management of his players.

“When he took over at Tottenham we were bottom of the table and within a short period of time he has converted that team into one of the best in the country. He is very likeable and is clearly the public’s favourite, the media’s favourite and looking at some of the tweets, he is clearly some of the top players’ favourite as well. He is very popular and what he has achieved with Tottenham has made him the clear favourite and he is obvious choice to manage the team.

“If you look at Harry’s career and his record and the character that he is and the way he deals with the media extremely well, he has had some tough issues to deal with over the last year both to do with his health and the court case and he has handled the pressure very well.

“All of those things have to be looked at from the FA board’s perspective. But certainly what he has done at Tottenham over the last few years has seen the club being transformed from Championship material to a team challenging for the title.

“More importantly, it is the way he has done it. He has worked with some of the biggest names in world football in that time and he has had to deal with big issues such as the Luka Modric situation last summer which all worked out very well.

“So he has the ability to deal with the biggest players and that would help him if he was to become England manager.  The FA board will consider everything. The game is such now that they will not just look at whether or not he is a good coach.

“The bridge will have to be crossed when we come to it but the worst scenario is that a decision will have to be made if the FA decide that Harry is the man for the job about how best to do that.”