'Sorry, Kanu, Harry was the only idiot who thought you were any good. The rest were right, you are useless.'
Harry Redknapp has threatened to force Nwankwo Kanu to see out his contract at Portsmouth after reports that the Nigerian wants to join Ajax. After signing a one-year deal last August, Kanu has scored nine goals to keep Portsmouth in the top six of the Premiership and believes his performances merit a fresh contract.Redknapp disagrees and, although he plans to offer Kanu another year at Fratton Park, he wants to wait until the end of the season before deciding. "Ajax haven't rung me yet," said the manager. "He can't go now, he has signed a year's contract. At the end of the year we will make up our mind. At the moment it looks every chance that I would love to have him for another year. I think he's great - I love him."
Kanu was quoted in a Nigerian newspaper as saying he wanted to return to Ajax, where he played from 1994 until 1996. Yesterday he denied the story. "I don't know who these people are that keep going on about Ajax," he said. "I love the club [Portsmouth] and definitely I want to be here. It's just up to the management to show their own commitment. I want a longer contract. If you have six months of a one-year contract you don't know what's going to happen."Kanu left West Bromwich Albion at the end of last season after scoring only seven league goals in two years and Redknapp hopes the former Arsenal forward will show loyalty to Portsmouth. "He's done great. If he was playing useless like everybody said he would we would still be paying his wages every week. We couldn't say to him, 'Sorry, Kanu, Harry was the only idiot who thought you were any good. The rest were right, you are useless.' You can't have it all ways."
Redknapp is determined to keep Sol Campbell after reports linking the former England centre-back with Chelsea. "I never heard nothing at all about Sol," said the manager. "They [Campbell and Kanu] were two free transfers in the summer. If these managers were that clever they should have come and taken them then."
Harry Redknapp has threatened to force Nwankwo Kanu to see out his contract at Portsmouth after reports that the Nigerian wants to join Ajax. After signing a one-year deal last August, Kanu has scored nine goals to keep Portsmouth in the top six of the Premiership and believes his performances merit a fresh contract.Redknapp disagrees and, although he plans to offer Kanu another year at Fratton Park, he wants to wait until the end of the season before deciding. "Ajax haven't rung me yet," said the manager. "He can't go now, he has signed a year's contract. At the end of the year we will make up our mind. At the moment it looks every chance that I would love to have him for another year. I think he's great - I love him."
Kanu was quoted in a Nigerian newspaper as saying he wanted to return to Ajax, where he played from 1994 until 1996. Yesterday he denied the story. "I don't know who these people are that keep going on about Ajax," he said. "I love the club [Portsmouth] and definitely I want to be here. It's just up to the management to show their own commitment. I want a longer contract. If you have six months of a one-year contract you don't know what's going to happen."Kanu left West Bromwich Albion at the end of last season after scoring only seven league goals in two years and Redknapp hopes the former Arsenal forward will show loyalty to Portsmouth. "He's done great. If he was playing useless like everybody said he would we would still be paying his wages every week. We couldn't say to him, 'Sorry, Kanu, Harry was the only idiot who thought you were any good. The rest were right, you are useless.' You can't have it all ways."
Redknapp is determined to keep Sol Campbell after reports linking the former England centre-back with Chelsea. "I never heard nothing at all about Sol," said the manager. "They [Campbell and Kanu] were two free transfers in the summer. If these managers were that clever they should have come and taken them then."
