Southgate: Downing Is Too Good For Spurs

*

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has claimed that England International Stewart Downing is too good for Tottenham Hotspur after Boro rejected two bid for the winger from their Premier League rivals earlier in the week.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp had made 24-year-old Downing his main transfer target after securing the return of striker Jermain Defoe to White Hart Lane from Portsmouth. However, after the rejection of the two offers for Downing, Redknapp is understood to have conceded that he will not land Downing from Middlesbrough this month, despite the winger handing in a transfer request at the Riverside Stadium.

Now Southgate has revealed that should Downing leave Boro, he should set his sights higher than the North London club, with Southgate insisting that he wants the best for Downing.

“I don't think it (a move to Spurs] is in the interests of our club or in the interests of Stewart,” said Southgate.

“There's a certain level that, if Stewart's going to leave this club, he should be going to.

“I'm not knocking Tottenham but I've had plenty of conversations with Stewart about his future, the majority of which I'd prefer to keep private. He totally understands I want the best for him.”

Southgate did concede that if Boro had been in a more comfortable position in the Premiership, where the North East club are currently just outside the drop-zone. Middlesbrough might have been more willing to let Downing leave for Spurs.

“If we'd had seven more points now it could quite possibly have been a different situation,” Southgate added.

Spurs To Fight It Out With Bolton For £8million Richardson?

*

Sunderland winger Kieran Richardson is a January transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp, with Bolton Wanderers also keen on the England International, according to The Mirror.

24-year-old Richardson was persuaded to join the Black Cats by former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane, when the Irishman took Sunderland into the Premier League in 2007. However, with Keane walking out of the Stadium of Light earlier in December, Richardson has reportedly become unsettled at the Premiership club and is looking for a move away from the North East.

Redknapp, who is also understood to be close to a deal for Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing is believed to be ready to offer Sunderland £8million for Richardson in January, but will face competition from Trotters manager Gary Megson, who also wants Richardson at the Reebok Stadium.

Spurs have identified the left side of midfield as an area that needs strengthening next month, with Aaron Lennon filling the void for Redknapp in recent weeks. While it is believed that Downing is the main target for Tottenham, Redknapp is considering Richardson as an alternative, with Boro manager Gareth Southgate wanting Gareth Bale as part of any deal to allow £15million rated Downing to leave the Riverside Stadium.

Tottenham are reluctant to let Welsh International Bale leave White Hart Lane, which has led them to Richardson, but with Bolton also interested it remains to be seen whether the winger opts for Spurs or Wanderers or decides to stay put at Sunderland in January.

Liverpool & Man City To Join Spurs In Race For Boro's Downing?

*

Manchester City and Liverpool are set to join Tottenham Hotspur in the race for the signature of England International winger Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough, when the transfer window reopens in January, according to reports.

Spurs have been continuously linked with a move to bring24-year-old Downing to White Hart Lane over the past couple of seasons. With Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said to be a big admirer of the left-sided player.

Now reports have suggested that Reds boss Rafa Benitez along with City chief Mark Hughes are also interested in signing Downing from Boro in January and are both prepared to meet Middlesbrough’s £12million valuation of the player.

Hughes is desperate for a left-sided player at the Eastlands Stadium due to the long-term injury to Martin Petrov and has identified Downing as the ideal replacement for the Bulgarian International. Money will be no object for the Blues, should a bidding war commence between the three Premier League clubs in January for the midfielder.

Liverpool on the other hand are widely known to have to sell before Benitez can bring in fresh faces to Anfield, which could leave them trailing in any race for Downing to City or Tottenham. However, the Merseyside club could offer some sort of swap-deal plus cash for Downing, with Yossi Beneyoun and Jermaine Pennant believed to be surplus to requirements at the Premiership club.

Boro manager Gareth Southgate is keen to keep Downing, who recently signed a new five-year deal at the Riverside Stadium. Should a bidding war start for the winger it might be hard for board at the North East club to resist a big-money offer for Downing, who has been at Middlesbrough since 2001.