It's a Mata of cash for Tottenham

Posted Monday, August 01, 2011 by The Sun

HARRY REDKNAPP reckons Tottenham have been blown out of the water when it comes to trying to compete with Manchester City's spending power.

The Spurs boss wants to add a top-class striker to his squad with Juan Mata top of his wish-list.

But he must try to persuade top stars to accept wages of around a maximum of £60,000 a week at White Hart Lane.

City's wage bill for their SEVEN world-class strikers - Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko, Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy and Roque Santa Cruz - is close to £1million A WEEK alone.

At least three of those will struggle to make the final squad list and there will be attempts to farm them out on loan or sell them - but no one can afford the salaries.

Redknapp said: "Imagine what their wages will be. It's incredible. They are all on 100 grand a week plus. Wages have gone crazy.

"It's gone beyond belief and made it really hard to compete for top players. If you want to be a top-four side, it's difficult because we can't pay those kind of wages.

"Our chairman Daniel Levy runs the club well, we get 36,000 fans, you're not going to put the club in hock. How do you compete with the Man Citys of this world?"

Tottenham's lack of transfer activity so far has seen them written off as a top-five club by Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

Redknapp added: "Fergie didn't mention us. He stuck Liverpool in there this year and probably with what they have brought in, it's looking that way."

He would love to land another Rafael van der Vaart and added: "Mata is one we have looked at but there are other clubs including Arsenal who also like him.

"I saw him play for Spain Under-21s against England and he was fantastic. But the chairman is dealing with it."

Wantaway Luka Modric missed Saturday's friendly at Brighton's new Amex Stadium with Spurs running out 3-2 winners.