EPL News Review: Tottenham, West Bromwich, West Ham, Wigan, Wolverhampton
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR:
Harry Redknapp has admitted that Niko Kranjcar could leave in January - but hopes he will stay. The Croatia midfielder has grown increasingly disillusioned with a lack of opportunities at White Hart Lane and this week repeated his threat to quit the club
if he continues to be frozen out.
While Redknapp would like to keep hold of the 26-year-old, describing him as "fantastic" and also "unlucky" that Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart are playing so well, the Spurs boss finally declared on Friday that he would not stand in Kranjcar's way
if he wanted to leave in the next transfer window.
Redknapp said, "We're not going to gift Niko away; he's a top player in my opinion. Let's see how things go in the next month with him. I really wouldn't want to lose him, but I do understand where he's coming from as well. He needs to play; he's a top-class
player. He's gone away and scored five goals for Croatia in the last three games. Hopefully, he'll get his chance sooner rather than later."
WEST BROMWICH ALBION:
Manager Roberto Di Matteo thinks his team - who have now lost four out of five Barclays Premier League matches - had been hard done with regards to the two penalties, Stoke were awarded in their 3-0 win at the Hawthorns. He argued that Kenwyne Jones had
gone down softly in the first incident and that it was harsh for referee Chris Foy to point to the spot after Simon Cox and Dean Whitehead collided in the second.
Di Matteo said, "Football can be very cruel sometimes and today was an example of it. For the first one there was minimal contact and he went down very, very easily. For me it wasn't (a penalty) but obviously they got it. I thought the second one was a harsh
one and it is one we probably wouldn't have got if it was in our favour. It was shoulder-to-shoulder and there was not much in it. It is difficult to explain a game like that because I think they had about one shot on target. You look at the score line and
it is incredible."
WEST HAM UNITED:
Scunthorpe United and West Ham have agreed the extension of forward Freddie Sears' loan until 3rd January. Sears made five appearances for the Iron during his first month with the club but Hammers retained their 24-hour recall on the 20-year-old.
WIGAN ATHLETIC:
Manager Roberto Martinez acknowledged that his players should have controlled themselves better after going down to nine men in their 2-0 defeat at Manchester United. Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega both got themselves sent off for unnecessary challenges
in the space of a few minutes early in the second half.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS:
Manager Mick McCarthy admitted that the pressure was mounting after his side slipped to yet another defeat on Saturday afternoon. Wolves went down 2-1 at Blackpool, their ninth loss in 11 matches, to remain entrenched in the bottom three of the Barclays
Premier League.
McCarthy said, "All us managers know, whichever league you are in, in football games you need results. It doesn't matter if you play good, bad or indifferent if you get results. If you are not getting results the pressure mounts but I don't sit and worry
about that. I worry about not getting points."
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