Redknapp rubbishes Barton link

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has rubbished reports that he tried to sign Newcastle midielder Joey Barton on transfer-deadline day.

Redknapp was believed to have made a late bid for the England international after Newcastle indicated their willingness to sell, but the link has brought an angry reaction from Portsmouth fans worried by the player’s disciplinary record both on and off the field.

Redknapp responded by insisting there was never any move for Barton.

“I do not know where it came from because it’s absolute rubbish,” he told the Portsmouth News. “I have not even thought about it. It’s just ridiculous, that’s all I can say.

“I was at Fulham watching our reserves play. Then all of a sudden people kept asking about Joey Barton.

“People were ringing me up going on about him, but it was complete news to me and you’d think I would know.

“Sure I like him as a player. Regardless of everything else he’s a good player, but I wasn’t looking to sign him. It hadn’t even crossed my mind to be perfectly honest.

“Besides, I had no money to buy anyone else. I thought everyone knew that.”