Former Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp, has laughed off suggestions that he is about to be appointed the next manager of the Nigerian national team.
The Daily Star reported earlier in the week that Redknapp was being lined up by the Nigerian authorities as the replacement for current boss, Gernot Rohr, who will be out of contract at the end of the month.
They claimed that the former Spurs man was ready to accept the job after previously rejecting the Super Eagles’ advances in 2016.
The rumours even led to former Tottenham striker, Peter Crouch, joking on social media about getting a Nigerian passport.
However, the 73-year-old has now insisted that there was no truth in the rumours.
He told talkSPORT: “Yeah, well I spoke to Sandra and she’s always wanted to live in Nigeria.
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“She said it’s amazing that this has come up now, because that was her dream. So we’re looking to sell up, we’re putting the house on the market and we’re looking to get somewhere over there if possible.
“I’m sure, she’d love it there. I’ve told her, she’d absolutely love it… hehe! I’m ready to go.”
Speaking seriously about the reports, Redknapp said: “I actually went there a few years ago with Portsmouth, we played Manchester United… but I don’t think I’ll really be going back.”
Top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also quashed the rumours that they are about to hire the former Tottenham boss.
An NFF source told Goal.com: “The news is all a hoax as some people are trying to be mischievous.
“Even if Nigeria ever thought of having a new coach, it would definitely not have been Redknapp. Hiring him would mean returning the Super Eagles to the 1980s, which is ridiculous.
“Our boys haven’t done badly under Gernot Rohr, so why should we dump him at this critical moment? We in the NFF believe in him and we will let him continue with his good work for the next few years.”
Meanwhile, an NFF chief confirmed that Gernot Rohr’s contract as Super Eagles boss has indeed been extended.
He added: “I don’t know about this. Everyone has been calling me about this and I am in my house under lockdown.
“The only thing that I know is that we just extended Gernot Rohr’s contract. We sent him an agreement and he will reply to the General Secretary.
“As far as I know, we have not discussed anything about another coach and we don’t know where this is coming from.”
Spurs Web Opinion
The 1980s comment from the NFF representative is rather harsh considering that Harry has had a decent career in management. However, football has moved on tactically and technically since Harry’s day and with the players Nigeria have, one would presume that they will be able to attract much bigger names than the former Spurs boss even if they wanted to replace Gernot Rohr.
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